How to Totally Rock!
by GunGreg89
Summary: The Zim cast starts a punk band! The underground music scene will never be the same again! Romance included. ZAGR,DATR, and a mystery couple. A bit dark in some areas. If you're squeamish or just close minded, don't read.
1. Punk Rawk Show

How to Totally Rock!

Announcement: First let me say this is my first fan fiction and would gladly except constructive criticism. Now this stemmed from an idea I've been tossing around about the Invader Zim characters starting a punk band. Also it's set about 5 years in the future and the characters are now older and taller. Here are the ages and heights of each character:

Zim: 17(in human years) 217(in Irken years) and 6' 3"

Dib: 17 and 6' 1"

Gaz: 16 and 5' 8"

Tak: 16(in human years) 216(in Irken years) and 5' 9"

GIR, Mini-Moose, and Mimi don't really have ages and their heights are basically the same. I will also put in lyrics to songs I'm writing for my future band and lyrics to songs from actual punk bands. Chapters will be named after punk songs. Page breaks will have a bunch of Os. Also this will have ZAGR and DATR in it. Enjoy or I'll unleash my army of ninja monkeys on you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Zim, Hot Topic, CBGB OMFUG, 924 Gilman Street or any of the bands mentioned here.

Chapter One: Punk Rawk Show

It was a beautiful summer day outside in the city. The birds were chirping, the flowers were blooming, the sun was shining, people were smiling, and the grass on every lawn was freshly cut. It looked like a friggin' Norman Rockwell painting. In a seemingly peaceful suburban neighborhood everything was quiet and still. As a little cricket jumped onto the middle of a sidewalk and chirped peacefully everything seemed serene…except that seconds later said cricket, was viciously smashed by a passing skateboard having it's entrails splattered all over.

The person on the skateboard was none other than a familiar large headed boy named Dib. Dib was in high school now and had recently given up his obsession with the paranormal in exchange for an obsession with punk rock he got from his younger sister Gaz who was still as anti-social and misanthropic as ever.

He was wearing his usual trench coat but instead of a smiley face t-shirt he was wearing a UK Subs t-shirt with baggy jeans and Converse sneakers. He was much taller now and in better shape thanks to his skateboarding. He was currently on his way to a friend's house and was speeding down the sidewalk like a bat outta hell. He finally reached his destination and got off his board.

Tucking it under his arm he walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a small green dog with googly eyes and its tongue hanging out. "Hi!" shrieked GIR in delight. "GIR! WHO IS AT THE DOOR!" came the familiar voice of everyone's favorite Irken, Zim. "It's Dib master!" replied the little robot. Zim then came out from some other room and appeared at the front door wearing an Operation Ivy t-shirt, torn jeans, and Vans sneakers.

Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'What the frick! Zim and Dib are mortal enemies how could they be friends? Well you see a couple years ago Zim was told by the Tallest that his mission was a sham and he was truly banished from Irk. Shortly afterwards Zim realized that Earth really wasn't that great a planet anyway and decided to just live a normal life.

Well at least as normal as a green skinned kid could live, he shortly after befriended Dib and Gaz. "Hey Dib what brings you around these parts?" questioned Zim. Dib reached into his backpack and pulled out a flyer and handed it to Zim. "I thought you might wanna see this" was Dibs reply. Zim grabbed the flyer and read it. It had a crudely group of people in a mosh pit on it along with this notice:

"Friday June 16 at The Pit: Social Distortion. Doors open at 7PM all ages welcome. Pick up tickets at the local ticket office." Zim reread the whole thing and then looked at Dib and asked "So? I don't have any tickets and it's tonight." "Well that's only part of the reason why I'm here Zim. The other reason is this." Dib then reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He handed it to Zim who opened it to reveal 4 tickets to said concert. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"I won them in a contest on WTFU. Those are tickets for you, me, Gaz, and Tak. I also bought two more tickets so GIR and Mimi could come. Zim who had begun loving punk too thought the human band called Social Distortion produced some of the greatest music he had ever heard. Simply put they were, as the humans he once tried to conquer would say, "the shit." GIR who was currently watching The Scary Monkey Show heard something about a concert and ran over to Zim to ask if that's what they were talking about. When Zim said yes and that they were going to one _and_ that Dib was the one who bought GIR his ticket, GIR freaked out and jumped on Dibs huge head knocking him over. He then began shrieking "Thank you Dibbie! I'm gonna do a little dance! DOO DEE DOO DEE DOO!"

As GIR ran around the base he began screaming like a demented monkey on a sugar rush. See GIR liked punk too due to its frenetic speed, quick song lengths, sometimes, goofy humor, and catchy melodies. Particularly his faves ran the gamut from The Ramones, The Descendents, The Vandals, The Mr. T Experience, Jawbreaker, The Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, and an assortment of other punk and ska-punk groups.

As he continued to run around, Dib leaned over to Zim and said "Jesus, he's still so freaking hyper." Zim just sort of chuckled and said "Yeah but I kinda like him like that." "I'm just hoping he won't get us kick out of the club." was Dibs reply. Zim then saw the clock out of the corner of his eye and realized what the time was and freaked out. "Oh shit! Is that the time!" he exclaimed and ran over to the nearby end table grabbing a small device that he entered a code into on the little keypad on the top.

He then ran out side and threw it into the middle of the street where a bright light flashed and where the device once was there was a bad ass convertible. Zim jumped into the driver seat and yelled to Dib "I have to pick up Gaz! Help GIR get into his disguise and be ready for us! I'll pick up some food on the way to pick you up!" He then drove off to the mall as fast as was legally possible. "I hope I don't hit traffic or anything. I don't wanna be late or Gaz will bite my head off like a piece of candy." Thought Zim as he sped down the street.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At the mall on the second floor was a newly installed Hot Topic. A woman was standing at the counter yelling at the young girl behind it. The girl who was wearing a Misfits t-shirt, long black jean shorts, Fullmetal Alchemist sneakers, and a Naruto headband was currently reading the latest issue of Shonen Jump and didn't seem to be listening.

"My son came here with some friends the other day to buy some clothes and came home with obscene t-shirts that said things like 'If I wanted to listen to an asshole I'd fart' and 'To do list: your Mom and your sister' and 'Reasons Why Video Games Are Better Than Girls'. How can you sleep at night knowing that you're selling these products to youngsters?" Gaz simply looked up and said "You about done? You're idiotic babbling is making me wanna throw up."

The woman obviously appalled said "Young lady! That's no way to speak to your elders!" Gaz annoyed, replied, "Oh I'm sorry about that ma'am. What I meant to say was 'Shut your friggin' piehole.'" The woman was extremely angry now and began once again yelling. "Listen here missy you better cut this out or I'll report you to your manager!" "Go ahead see if I give a shit" threatened the purple haired teen.

It just so happened that her manager Tom heard the commotion while going through stock and came to see what the problem was. "Is everything okay ma'am?" "No it's not" replied the woman. "This girl has been very disrespectful". Tom who was only 26 just nodded his head and asked what the problem was. She then recounted the story to him and how Gaz was being uncharitable to her. Afterwards Tom turned to Gaz and asked "Gaz why were you being uncharitable to this woman?" "Cuz she's an idiot for letting her kid go into a store she's never been in before and knows nothing about and expects us to take responsibility for the fact her son got some shirts with things she didn't agree with on them." Tom nodded his head again and said, "I'm sorry ma'am but Gaz is right. You're a total freaking retard for letting your son go unsupervised into a store you don't know about. I suggest you pull your head out of your ass and pay attention to what your son is doing from now on."

The woman was about to say something but Gaz cut her off. "And before you say something else which will make me lose more hope in the future of humanity Tom and I would like to give you something." They then both flipped her off with one hand and used the other to give the "right back at ya" sign with the other. The woman then said angrily "How childish."

"Up yours bitch!" was Gaz's response. Tom shook his head and sighed, "People like that are so damn stupid it makes, me sick." He then saw the time and realized Gaz could go home. "Gaz your shift is over. You better leave so you can get to the concert on time." Gaz looked up at the time and stretched. "Okay thanks Tom." Was her reply as she walked out, she knew Zim would becoming to pick her up soon so she exited the mall and waited outside.

She looked at her watch and saw that Zim only had a couple minutes left to get here and pick her up. As she sat down waiting she heard a sound, which sounded like cars swerving out of the way and people screaming. Which it was because at that exact moment Zim used one of those trucks that carry cars to dealers which was conveniently empty as a ramp to launch off the highway and come crashing down into the parking lot.

He then hit the brakes and skidded to a stop in front of Gaz. "Well what do you know, you're on time" was her reply. Zim who was taking deep breaths to calm down said "Yes I am and why not? For I am the great ZIM!" "Yeah, yeah whatever just shut up and let's go" retorted Gaz as she climbed into the passengers seat. "And don't try any of that crazy shit you did back there or I'll rip your squeedily spooch out through your ass." She threatened for good measure.

Zim just drove out of there as fast as possible and headed towards Krazy Taco to pick up some dinner before the concert. "So I'm taking it Dib told you about the show tonight?" inquired Gaz. Zim who looked like he was hyped up on sugar replied "HELL YEAH! This show is going to be so freaking sweet!" Gaz sort of looked out at the street from the window.

"So you think GIR is really stable enough to go to something like this without seriously screwing things up?" Zim pondered this for a while before answering. "I think GIR wouldn't act any different from any of the other concert goers don't you think?" Gaz too thought about this and realized he was right. Punk shows tended to get very wild and out of control. She then thought back on her first show when she went to see a Rancid concert at the age of 12. It was the first show The Pit ever had and was a crazy night. In fact someone even got badly injured that night if she remembered correctly.

She smiled, ever since Zim and Dib stopped fighting things got better. She introduced Dib to the joys of good music, video games, anime, and many other things she enjoyed which allowed them to grow closer as siblings. And Zim becoming friends with them was nice. Zim and Dib hit it off really well, which was surprising considering their past. Time really did have a strange way of changing people. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but this was definitely the former and not the latter. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Zim pulled into the Krazy Taco drive-thru where he ordered all the food for everyone with GIR getting half of the huge order which consisted of: 20 tacos, 10 burritos, and a drink for everyone. After getting the massive order they went back to Zim's house to pick up Dib and GIR who was in his 'Little Brother' disguise and went into the city.

Luckily parking wasn't a problem thanks to Zim's car invention, which turned back into a simple cube when Zim pressed a button on it. The group then waited outside the club eating their food and waiting for Tak and Mimi who were supposed to meet them at the club at 5:30 so they wouldn't have to hold a place in line for them. However it was 5:52 and they were getting antsy.

"Where the hell is Tak?" complained Gaz. "She said she'd be here at 5:30 and Tak is never late." "That's not entirely true" countered Zim "she's only late if she has a good reason to be." "Well she better have a damn good reason this time." Dib tried to help Zim out by saying she might have gotten lost. This only annoyed Gaz more. "Well wouldn't that be peachy-freaking-keen! If Tak's lost then that means we'd have to miss the show!"

Dib realized his mistake and tried to calm Gaz down "Don't worry she'll probably be here soon." "How about now?" came a familiar Australian accented voice from behind Dib. Startled the boy jumped and spun around to come face to face with Tak. Tak was using her holo-disguise to make herself look human. She was also wearing an Army jacket with band and anime patches safety pinned on along with a t-shirt that said "Sarcasm is the body's natural defense against stupid.", plaid pants, checkered shoes, and a wrist band that said Dropkick Murphy's on it. Mimi also had a holo-disguise, which made her look like a young girl.

GIR saw them and squealed. "Hi Takkie! Hi Mimi! I got Tacos!" Tak giggled at the insane little robot who was wearing a little poncho and Krazy Taco taco hat which came free of purchase with their meal. Mimi on the other hand blushed (or displayed blushing on her holographic human face) as she had a crush on GIR (AN: bet you didn't see that coming huh?) and was giggling at his silly appearance. GIR noticed and immediately thought she wanted a taco.

Reaching into his bag he pulled out a taco and walked over to Mimi handing it to her. "Here have a taco Mimi. They is CRAZY GOOD!" Mimi blushed even harder, "Thanks GIR" she replied. She then took the Mexican food gift and began eating it. He was right it _was_ crazy good. GIR began giggling uncontrollably and went back to eating his own tacos.

Gaz wanted to know why Tak was late and wanted to know _now_. "So Tak, why the hell were you late?" Tak sighed and decided an explanation was needed. "I was late because my dumb ass boss wouldn't let me leave early even though he said I could yesterday." Tak unlike Zim had mostly broken or obsolete Irken technology when she got back. Thus she had to get a job to get along with the world.

Unfortunately the only job she could get was a job at one of the worst human establishments _ever_: Wal-Mart or as she liked to call it Anal-Mart. "I keep telling you Tak you should get a job at Hot Topic with me. It's much better and at least most of the people who shop there aren't jerk offs." Offered Gaz to the distressed Irken. Tak really wanted to quit her job but wasn't sure if they'd hire her at Hot Topic as she wasn't much of a people person. Though neither was Gaz. "Okay Gaz, I'll quit next Monday." "Great I'll set you up for an interview with Tom. It'll be great working together."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As they waited for the club to open more people came to wait in line. Zim tired of the quiet decided to strike up a bet with Tak to make things interesting. "Hey Tak?" "Yeah Zim?" Zim then sort of put his hands in his pockets and replied, "Ya know I bet GIR will get the mosh pit going." The bet was on. "No way. Mimi will start it up and you know it." "Wanna bet?" "Hell yeah! I bet 20 bucks that Mimi will start the pit." "You're on." "Can I join the bet too?" asked Gaz suddenly surprising the two Irkens.

"Uh, sure Gaz I guess." Said Tak. "What do you think Zim?" Zim thought about it a bit before deciding it would be okay. "Just as long as she bets for the mighty Zim." Tak glared at him "No way, she'll bet on Mimi. Won't you Gaz?" Gaz didn't answer them at first. She just stood there before saying "Actually I'm placing a bet that _I'll_ start the pit." Tak and Zim just sort of stared at her for a while like she was some sort of freaky science experiment gone horribly awry. "What?" asked the girl slightly annoyed. Tak cleared her throat before replying, "Gaz the bet was supposed to be…" "How dare you not bet on GIR you pitiful earth stink!" interrupted Zim. Gaz just smirked at both Irkens.

"Hey one of you'll still win if two of us lose. And if you both lose I'll be up 40 bucks" replied Gaz in a cocky tone. "What makes you so sure you even have a remote chance of winning?" questioned Zim with an air of cockiness around him as well. "Two reasons Zim. One, I always get, the pit going at every show I've been to. And two, I always win." Dib had to agree with his sister on this one. "She's right you know. She always wins and she always starts the pit." "Well if that's the case Dib" replied Zim "then why aren't you betting on her?"

The reason why was because Dib had a history of bets blowing up in his face. And the last thing he needed was to be out a 20 and have Gaz pissed off at him for ruining her perfect streak. "I just don't feel like it" was his lame ass answer. Zim decided it was his own loss and let it be. Shortly after deciding the rules the doors were opened to the public so the people could get in. The club wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either as it could hold a couple hundred people. It was roughly the size of legendary clubs like CBGB OMFUG in New York City and 924 Gilman Street in Berkley, California.

It was also gaining as much fame and notoriety as those places too as many bands had played there. Everyone from The Dropkick Murphy's, MxPx, Rancid, The

Vandals, Tsunami Bomb, From Autumn to Ashes, Comeback Kid, The Offspring, AFI, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Mindless Self Indulgence, Iggy Pop, and many other artists had played here. Flyers from shows going back to the opening were framed and hung in the building like awards for some big ass achievements that a person who was cut out to be a functioning member of society would receive.

It was run by a 30 something named Dexter who was sick of the same boring crap on the radio, and wanted to do something cool for the true punks of the city. He decided the best course of action would be to open an all ages club downtown. It was a success attracting a bunch of well, known punk bands from around the country and even some young brand new bands from the area.

Gaz thought the best course of action would be to let some other people go in first and get in after so they'd all be right in the middle of the pit. After everyone filed into the club the doors were closed and Dexter walked out onto the stage up to a microphone. "Punks of all ages…welcome to The Pit." He announced in a loud voice to which everyone cheered. "Now I know why you're here, it's to listen to kick ass music and thrash in the pit like there's no freakin' tomorrow. Am I right!?" he bellowed into the mic.

Once again his words were met with roaring applause from the roomful of punks. "Then without further adieu I present to you, all the way from Orange County, the one the only, SOCIAL DISTROTION!!!" Dexter then got off the stage as SD took their places on stages. Mike Ness walked up to the microphone and asked, "Who here wants to cut the bullshit formalities and just get to the music?" Everyone was going insane at this point as the band stood on stage. "Well then here's a song that will get things going real quick." At that point Tak, Zim, and Gaz all were thinking the same thing: 'Please let it be Mommy's Little Monster'" "It's a song called Mommy's Little Monster."

Zim took this as his opportunity to attack, "Now GIR! Start the pit so I may win some monies." "I LOVE THIS PART!" shrieked the little robot however as he leaped at the nearest person that's also when Mimi decided to start the pit and they both met head on. "NOOOOOO!" screamed Tak and Zim. Gaz on the other hand walked up to a kid picked him up with ease and tossed him at a big sweaty dude who got angry and punched the dude closest to him causing the mosh pit to break out as Social D started their song:

Mommy's little monster dropped out of school,  
Mommy's little monster broke all the rules.  
He loves to go out drinking with the boys,  
He loves to go out and make some noise.  
He doesn't wanna be a doctor or a lawyer get fat rich.  
He's 20 years old he quit his job,  
Unemployment pays his rent!  
His brothers sisters have tasted sweet success,  
His parents condemn him, say "his life's a mess!"  
He's mommy's little monster, he's not afraid to admit it.  
He's mommy's little monster, don't wake him in a fit!!!  
Mommy's little monster shoots methadrine,  
Mommy's little monster had sex at 15  
She left home for the streets,  
She couldn't deal with all that heat.  
She had fun with the boys in the band,  
In her eyes it will never end.  
Her dad asked what happened to her face,  
It could have happened in any place!!!  
_Chorus:_  
Her eyes are a deeper blue, she likes her hair that color too.  
She can even wear a dress, that doesn't mean she'll ever confess.  
She's mommy's little monster  
She's mommy's little monster  
She's mommy's little monster  
DON'T TAKE HER LIFE AWAY!!!

Shortly after the song was over everyone cheered and during the brief calm Gaz went up to Zim and Tak who had lost fair and square. "Pony up guys" was all she said to them. They both grumbled and reached into their wallets and gave her a 20. "Nice doing business with ya." She said as the next song began. The show went on with out a hitch until halfway through the band stopped for a 20 minute intermission, "We'll be right back after this intermission." Mike announced as people began to relax and sort of, mellow out for a little while.

The gang decided to go to the convenience store across the street to get a quick drink. As they left the club Zim noticed Dib had a black eye and broken glasses. "Jesus Dib, what happened to you?" "I got punched in the face by a big sweaty dude when the pit started." Gaz just giggled a bit but Tak decided to help him out. "Here Dib use this" she said as she handed him what looked like an ordinary cleaning wipe. "A moist towelette?" he asked. "Actually it's got an instant healing solution on it, so that black eye will heal instantly when it's used on it."

Dib smiled and thanked her. Tak blushed a little and replied, "It's nothing." Dib used it and his black eye did in fact disappear immediately. They then went into the store to get their drinks and sat down outside talking about various things while taking swigs of their drinks and waiting for the intermission to end.

"I'd have to disagree Tak" said Gaz "while Marky Ramone was hot I'd still rather do Joey." "Why Joey!? He was sterile." "Exactly. That means he wouldn't have to wear a condom." "Ewww" said Tak, Zim, Dib, GIR, and Mimi in unison. "I'd also do Davey Havok from AFI in a second" continued Gaz "and Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only from The Misfits and Henry Rollins from Black Flag." "Could we please stop talking about what guys you would have sex with?" asked Dib with a combination of annoyance and repulsion in his tone.

"Oh c'mon Dib" said Tak, "I bet there are a couple girls from punk bands you'd wanna get in the sack." Dib blushed and mumbled something. "I'm sorry I couldn't here that Dib" teased Gaz. "I said I do." "Who are they?" "Joan Jett, and Agent M from Tsunami Bomb okay" he said a little embarrassed. The girls began laughing at him which made him blush even more. GIR and Mimi on the other hand were both sharing a chocolate bubblegum Suck Monkey which Tak thought made them look adorable and talked about Mimi's crush on GIR quietly. "She's really quite smitten with the insane little bot." She explained. Zim looked at the two and noticed that while GIR seemed to just be oblivious to what was going on while Mimi seemed to be blushing. "Funny GIR seems to not notice it. Or maybe he just doesn't know when love is staring you right in the face."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As they were talking Mike Ness, Johnny Wickersham, Brent Harding, and Charlie Quintana from Social Distortion decided to go to the store for a beer. As they walked by everyone stopped talking as the guys from the band walked by. "Holy shit it's Social D." muttered Dib. "We should totally ask them for their autographs" suggested Zim. "How? We can't just walk up to the guys who created skate punk and ask for an autograph. That just won't work" stated Dib matter of factly. "I can" said Gaz "C'mon Zim, let's get those autographs." Zim and Gaz led the way in to the store where the members were getting their beers. Gaz walked up to Mike Ness and tapped his shoulder. The tall punk rocker turned around to see a young girl with purple hair standing behind him. "Hey there." He said in a kind voice "You from the show?" "Yeah I am. Look me and my friends would like an autograph from you guys 'sthat cool?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders "Why the hell not. Anything for a fan." The band then gave everybody autographs, nothing special. Except when GIR got his he spazzed out and threw his suck monkey in the air causing it to land on the floor and spill and a random employee stepped on it and slipped causing him to knock over a shelf which just happened to fall on Mike.

"OH SHIT! MY FUCKING ARM!" The rest of the band then pulled the shelf off him to see his arm was broken. "Oh my God! I'm sorry for my little brothers behavior. Please don't hate us!" begged Zim. "S'okay kid. I've had this sort of thing happen before." Confessed Mike. "Yeah but who's gonna play lead guitar and sing. I can only play rhythm" said Johnny. "We may have to cancel the rest of the show." Admitted Charlie. "Wait you can't just cancel the rest of the show there'll be a riot" Dib told them. "Sorry kid but I'm in no condition to play, the concert resumes in 5 minutes, and I doubt I could find someone who knows all our songs by heart and can play guitar." Just then Gaz and Dib were both hit with an idea. Looking at each other Gaz went up to Mike as Charlie dialed 911. "I can play and sing the songs." She said.

Mike looked at her and said "Honey, this is kinda sudden don't you think?" Gaz got slightly annoyed at this and told him "Okay two things. One, don't call me honey or so help me I'll rip you a new one. And two, I'm your only hope." Mike sighed. "Okay, okay. Johnny take her and get her set up." "Sure Mike, come on umm… what's your name?" "Gaz" "Okay Gaz let's get our butts over to the club."

Dib, Zim, and Tak sort of looked at each other. "Dib are you sure Gaz can do this? I mean I've never heard her play before" said Zim. Dib grinned and just said, "Well you'll get a kick outta this." Tak and Zim just shrugged and GIR looked at Mimi and asked, "What's going on Mimi?" "I think Gaz is going to play guitar and sing for the band." "Okie dokie then!" he said.

Back at the club Dexter had just announced a fill in for Mike to which everyone booed. "I hope Gaz doesn't get 'stage fright' as you humans call it" stated Tak. "Don't worry you'll be surprised" assured Dib. Just then the show began again and Gaz was shown at the mic. As the crowd booed she just sorta scowled before shouting "1,2,3,4" and playing Reach For The Sky.

When I was young I was invincible,  
I find myself now thinking twice,  
I never thought about no future,  
it's just the roll of the dice.

But the day may come when you've got something to lose,  
and just when you think you're done paying dues  
And you say to yourself, dear God what Have I done?  
And hope its not too late 'cause tomorrow may never come.

_Chorus:_  
Reach For the Sky, 'cause tomorrow may never come  
Reach For the Sky, 'cause tomorrow may never come

Yesterday is history and tomorrow's a mystery  
But baby right now, its just about you and me,  
You can run you can hide, just like Bonnie and Clyde  
Reach for the sky ain't never gonna die,  
and I thank the Lord for the love I have found  
and hold you tight cause tomorrow may never come.

_Chorus_

So if you please take this moment  
Try if you can make it last  
Don't think about no future and just forget about the past  
and make it last.

_Chorus_

Everyone was blown away at Gaz's excellent guitar and singing abilities. The show ended with everyone going nuts and cheering. The rest of the gang went backstage to talk to Gaz. A bouncer stopped them at first until Gaz and Johnny came out and Johnny said it was okay. "How was it Gaz?" questioned Zim. "It. Was. AWESOME!" was her ecstatic response. "I felt so alive out there. It was great." "That gives me an idea" said Tak. "Let's start our own band." Everyone didn't even hesitate, "I'm in!" they all screamed in unison. "Then it's settled, we'll start a band." "Yes I can show off my mad bass and singning skills!" said Zim. "You play bass?" asked Dib. "Yes I, the amazing ZIM! Plays the human instrument called a bass guitar." "I call lead guitar and co-vocals" said Gaz. "I'll play rhythm guitar" said Dib, "Keyboards" said Tak, "I wanna play the drums and go boom, boom, boom" said GIR. "I can be producer and manager" suggested Mimi. "Alright then, I think we have a band. Come over to our house tomorrow" said Gaz. "This is gonna rock!" said Dib. "I gonna be a crazy drummer like Animal!" declared GIR. This was gonna be interesting.

AN: First chapter is freaking done! Did you like? I know the whole band thing has been done with other cartoons before but rarely with Zim and rarely like this! Oh and if you're confused here's the lineup:

Gaz: Vocals and Lead Guitar

Dib: Rhythm Guitar

Zim: Vocals and Bass

Tak: Keyboards

GIR: Drums

Mimi: Manager and Producer

More characters will appear and there will be appearances by Nny and Squee. Along with a few others I won't disclose just yet. I have more chapters coming and will try to update once a week. I have some other fanfics to write so look for those too. Now please review or my little brother will go insane.


	2. Red Flag

How To Totally Rock!

AN: This is the second chapter of my fic: "How To Totally Rock!" Lame name I know but I couldn't think of a better one mmkay? Any dang way, I forgot to mention in the first chappie that there will be other punk references in the story. The ones from chapter one are:

Chapter name: MxPx song

Club owner's name: based off of Dexter Holland from The Offspring

Clubs: The clubs I mentioned are legendary all ages clubs that actually exist. CBGB helped launch the punk and new wave movements as many early punk and new wave artists like The Ramones, Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, Television, Richard Hell, Blondie, Talking Heads, and many others from the New York/New Jersey area played their first shows their in the mid 70's. It's also said you can't consider yourself a real band until you play at least one show there. 924 Gilman Street helped establish many well known West Coast California punk groups in the mid to late 80's including The Mr. T Experience, The Offspring, Green Day, Operation Ivy, Rancid (which coincidentally was formed by two ex members of Op. Ivy) and many others. I might feature CBGB later in the story. Tell me if that's a good idea or not. Much thanks. Oh and also whenever Zim, Tak, GIR, and Mimi are out in public or just outside they where their disguises. When inside one of the characters houses they don't wear them, hope that clears things up.

Disclaimer: I don't own jack shit in this story. No seriously jack shit ain't mine. Neither are the characters, name brand products, bands, lyrics,(except where noted) stores real or made up by Jhonen(except the ones I make up), and many other things in this fic.

Chapter Two: Red Flag

Dib was waiting outside in his backyard for his friends to show up for their first practice. His sister was over at Tak's to help bring some stuff over. He sat on the grass sipping a Poop cola and listening to Black Flag on his iPod. "_Society's arms of control/Rise above we're gonna rise above!/Think they're smart, can't think for themselves/Rise above we're gonna rise above/_. He was wearing a Warped Tour t-shirt along with jeans and Independent sneakers and was currently singing along to the song while sitting down on the grass. He began singing along to the song since no one was around. As he lay there wondering where the hell everyone was his question seemed to be answered by a foam ball to the back of his large head. He spun around to see Gaz and Tak looking down at him. Gaz was wearing a t-shirt reading "Top 20 Best Anti-Social Behaviors", camo cargos, and Chuck Taylors. Tak was wearing a Tsunami Bomb t-shirt, jean shorts, and a pair of Misfits slip on shoes. "Singing along again are we?" his sister asked. "Yeah, so?" he asked back annoyed by the projectile thrown at him. "So it's annoying" countered Gaz with a scowl.

"Whatever. Where are Zim and GIR?" asked Dib. "Right here" came the Irkens familiar voice. He was wearing an FLCL t-shirt, an armband that read "I Hate This Town" in old English lettering, khaki cargo pants, and some Globe sneakers. What he didn't have with him though was his equipment as he was surprisingly empty handed. "Umm Zim? Where's your equipment?" asked Gaz. "I have my stuff right here" replied Zim as he pulled a small spherical device from his pocket. Everyone looked at it with a weird look on their faces. Zim sighed realizing he'd _once again_ have to explain his invention to everyone. He began to open his mouth when Gaz said, "Let me guess. It's an infinite matter storage device." Zim couldn't believe it. She got it right on the first try. "Umm, that's right Gaz it is an infinite matter storage device." Tak who was getting impatient, decided to get things moving, "Alright it's all fine and good that you made another invention. And that Gaz guessed right. But I don't see how this is going to help us practice." "Yeah she's right and GIR's waiting inside unsupervised and I don't want him breaking anything" said Gaz about the crazy robot. "By the way, where's Mimi, Tak?" "She said she was working on something for the band" explained Tak. "Said it was a surprise or something."

As they all headed inside the phone rang in the living room. "I'll get it" said Dib. He ran into the living room and picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Dib this is your father" came the voice of the famous Professor Membrane. "What is it Dad?" "I'm sorry but I'll have to work late again. I'm on the breakthrough of a new cure." Dib was, disappointed by this as his father once promised them he would try and spend more time with them. He so far had been unable to keep that promise. "Okay Dad." "I'm sorry son but I must go before something bad hap-NO!!! YOU FOOL THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT MIXTURE!" There was the sound of a massive explosion and the phone call cut off. "Who was that?" asked Gaz as she walked into the room with a Mr. Pibb in her hand. Dib sighed and pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "It was Dad. He won't be able to come home again." "Again! Dammit that's the third week in a row since he last showed up even for a little while" fumed the irritated Gaz. "I know Gaz. I wish we could get him to stay home with us for a few days too. But unfortunately I don't know how."

Zim who had heard the conversation and knew full well of the human siblings plight decided to cut in. "I suggest you talk to your father about this the next time you see him. Tell him how you feel about his going back on the promise he made to you." They looked at him a bit and Gaz asked "What the hell? Are you Dr. Phil now or something?" Zim chuckled a bit. "No that pitiful human 'therapist' is a hack. He just tells people to get over themselves and gets paid for doing it. I actually know how to help people out." Gaz chuckled at this, which caused Zim to blush slightly. "What? What is so funny that it would cause you to laugh at ZIM!" Gaz stopped for a minute to answer him. "It's because you stole that from Scary Movie 4. And because you look kinda cute when you talk like that." This made Zim blush even more. "Just kidding. Now let's go see how we sound as a band."

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"Man this thing is heavy" complained Dib as he lugged a Mesa Boogie amp into the garage. He had a Fender Telecaster hanging by its strap over his shoulder. Zim was helping GIR get his drum kit-a beautiful Tama Starclassic Maple-set up. Zim himself had already set up his gear: an SWR bass amp with an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray bass. Gaz was busy tuning her Gibson Les Paul Standard while Tak set up her Korg Triton keyboard. After setting up all the amps, speakers, and microphones they were ready to practice. "What song should we practice first?" asked Tak. "How about 'Animal Boy' by The Ramones?" suggested Dib. "I love that song" said GIR. "Okay we'll do that one first" said Zim. "Gaz could you please count us off." The purple haired teen nodded and shouted "1,2,3,4" and they launched into the song.

Gonna kill and destroy  
I'm not an animal boy  
Why don't they understand  
I'm not an ape man

Animal boy

Animal boy

Animal boy

Animal boy

Don't have brain damage  
I'm not a wild savage  
Don't push me around  
Don't bring my head down

Animal boy

Animal boy

Animal boy

Animal boy

I'm not an imbecile  
Don't treat me like an animal  
I'm not a creature in the zoo  
Don't tell me what to do

Animal boy

Animal boy

Animal boy

Animal boy

You don't know what it's like  
You don't know how I feel  
I don't have a monkey's brain  
I'm not an animal

You can't lock me in a cage  
This ain't the Stone Age  
Better get out of my way  
Someone's gonna have to pay

Animal boy  
Animal boy  
Animal boy  
Animal boy

They finished the song and stopped to take a breather. Dib looked at Zim, "Where did you learn to play bass and sing so damn well?" he asked. Zim smiled triumphantly "It just comes naturally to some of us I guess" boasted Zim. "Somehow I seriously doubt that Zim" teased Tak. "Okay, okay, I bought a 'Bass for Beginners' book and DVD for the bass part. But the singing I just learned from singing along to songs I listened to." Dib was impressed by how Zim taught himself how to sing by singing along to songs. Dib could never sing real well and he knew it. He tried not to do it when his sister was within earshot, as she would sometimes throw something at him when he did.

"Well if you two are done blowing each other over there, could we get back to practicing?" asked Gaz annoyed at how they were just talking to each other. Zim just told her they were going to get back to it. However Dib had this look on his face that was one of slight embarrassment. She had this sneaking suspicion that her brother was bisexual. Why else would someone seem to want to get a girlfriend but at the same time seem to slightly blush at mention of gay and bisexual men? She had no problem with gays and bisexuals even though she herself was straight. She considered homophobia to be retarded and hateful. She had asked him a couple times about it but he would just deny it, which confirmed her suspicions. She shrugged and decided to get back to practicing. They practiced for another couple of hours before calling it quits for the day. It was already 6:30 and the group had been practicing almost non-stop since 3:30. "I think we should grab some food. I'm so hungry I could eat a hippo" admitted Zim. "I agree with space boy. We probably should get something to fill our bellies" said Tak. "Now we just gotta pick where to go" said Dib. GIR suddenly stood up and shouted "BLOATY'S" at the top of his lungs. Well if he had any lungs but whatever. Everyone seemed to agree with the insane little robot. "Bloaty's it is then" said Dib. "Let me just grab my car keys and we can leave."

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When everyone arrived at the obvious Chuck E. Cheese rip-off they could immediately smell the delicious smells of pizza being made. Dib decided to get them a table and order the pizza, Tak went with him, GIR went to the ball pit where he would most likely scare and deeply scar several little kids for life. Gaz on the other hand went to play "House of the Dead 4" while Zim decided since he had nothing better to do to watch the teen girl play the zombie game. As he stood next to Gaz she put the tokens in the machine and started the game. The game opened with a cutscene of a man and a woman in a large room. They were talking about an accident that happened and if they had any weapons. The man pulled a machine gun out and tossed it to the woman who gladly accepted it. Just then banging noises came from the large door in the room. The game then went to first person view as zombies broke through. Gaz immediately blasted them all within a few seconds of their appearance. She continued blowing away zombies without taking a single hit for a while, which is when Zim asked her something. "How in the hell did you get so good at this game?" "It takes years of practice to get as good at videogames as me" she said. "Could I try this game of zombie blasting?" asked Zim. "Sure why not." She said as she handed Zim the tokens.

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As they all sat down for their pizza 40 minutes later it was Gaz who was astounded. "Are you sure you've never played that game before Zim?" "Most certain Gaz" replied Zim. "Then how was it you able to beat my high score like that?" "Oh please, I've mastered more complicated machines than that pitiful excuse for a battle simulator" he said in a cocky tone of voice. 'Though I have to admit it was fun' Zim thought. Just as their pizza came though in walked the _one_ person they didn't want to see…Keef. See apparently, when Keef was attacked by the squirrel he thought was Zim, it clawed his fake eyes out. Thus he was rushed to the emergency room where he got an eye transplant. Afterwards he kept stalking Zim trying to be his "bestest friend". What made him even _more_ annoying though was that when Zim started delving into the punk lifestyle Keef followed. Sort of, see Keef ended up listening to the two biggest abominations the punk world has ever seen. Poser punk and emo. He thought the shit that clogged the radio like Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, Mest, Hawthorne Heights, Dashboard Confessional, The Starting Line, The Early November, Maxeen, and many other lame wannabe punks were good.

He was wearing a Simple Plan t-shirt, jeans and Sketchers sneakers. His appearance screamed, "I'm a poser! Punch me in the face!" Tak was the first to notice him, "Oh shit. Zim the freak is here" she quietly said to him. He turned around to see the annoying little prick behind him at the front door. "Maybe he won't see us" said the worried Irken. "Hi Zim!" "Well there goes that wish" mumbled the alien as he turned around to see Keefs annoyingly perky smiling mug. "Hello Keef. I take it you heard the restraining order fell through" he said. "Oh Zim, I know you were just joking about that. We're friends and friends joke with each other" assured Keef. 'Yeah sure, you believe that dick' thought Zim bitterly as Keef kept yammering on about things. And this wasn't the kind of yammering that GIR did. No, that was funny. This, oh God this was pure and utter torture. Imagine having to swallow a wire brush and pull it out your ass. After hearing Keef talk nonstop for a while you'd probably rather do that than have to endure his incessant babble for another second.

"So anyway I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Hidden in Plain View concert this weekend" Zim wanted to puke, the parasite was still here and still talking. Didn't he get the hint he wasn't welcome? Maybe his pitiful human brain couldn't comprehend the fact that the whole group (excluding GIR who was in his own world) wanted to kill the douche in the slowest most aggravatingly, disturbingly, horrifically, painful way possible. "So Zim will you come?" "No he's not coming Keef. He's never gonna come to any of those gay little concerts you go to. Wanna know why? It's cause you are an annoying buttmunch who won't take no for an answer. So I suggest you get the fuck out of our sight or I'll throw you into a pit of despair so horrible an eternity in Hell would be a godsend" said Gaz in an incredibly dark and morbid tone. Keef had gone pale and began slowly backing away before running from the restaurant screaming. Everyone gaped at Gaz. "You just scared Keef away" said Dib with a twinge of awe in his voice. Gaz sniffed the air a bit "Ughh… I think I made him shit his pants too" she added due to an unpleasant odor lingering where Keef stood. GIR who hadn't really been paying attention noted the smell too with a declaration of "I smell dookie." "I think maybe we should take the rest of the pizza home" added Tak "The stench is getting to me."

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Back at the Membrane household everyone continued eating the pizza they brought back while watching Akira. It was one of Gaz's favorite movies due to it's dark, morbid, and bloody nature. They were at the part towards the end where Tetsuo transformed into a hideous mutant flesh creature, which resembled a massive baby. 'It looks like that Giganto Baby creature from a few years ago' thought Zim. "This movie just gets better with age" commented Gaz "Like cheese or fine wine." "I don't think people of a higher upbringing would agree with you when comparing cheese and fine wine with a movie like this" added Tak just as a character got violently crushed to death. "Yeah! Somebody got smashed!" cried out GIR in happiness. He loved watching movies where there was lots of destruction and chaos. Zim thought it maybe because his brain is so chaotic and he has had destructive tendencies. Actually he still does. Well whatever, back to the characters.

"I find the movie unique in its portrayal of a dystopian future. I also like the idea of the main characters being outcasts and freaks and the concept that people shouldn't mess with things they don't know about" critiqued Zim as the movie ended. "It was good" said Tak. "But, Ghost In The Shell was better." Gaz had to argue with the female Irken. "What are you talking about? Ghost In The Shell is great but you can't really compare the too equally. They're both in a class all their own. It's like comparing The Misfits and The Ramones. They're both great but are totally separate classes." "I guess you're right Gaz" agreed Tak. "I also agree with Gaz" said Dib. "Akira's a sci-fi movie at heart but smacks of drama and suspense at several areas. Ghost In The Shell is a sci-fi/action movie that's got a brain and great ideas. Both are incredible in their own respective ways." "Wow, that's amazing Dib. I never thought of it that way. You should be a movie critic or something" said Tak amazed. Dib blushed at the compliment. "That's umm…very kind of you Tak but, I'm just expressing my honest opinion" "Nonsense you'd be a great journalist. And a far better critic than those hacks at places like Entertainment Weekly or The New York Times" she added. This of course made Dib blush even more, "Thanks Tak" he replied. Tak to blushed at this. Zim and Gaz decided to tease them about this. "Dib and Tak sittin' in a tree" they sang "F-U-C…" "Shut up" they both yelled at them embarrassed.

"Why should we?" asked Zim. "Maybe their embarrassed because they really would like to fu…" started Gaz before she got hit in the face with a cushion from the couch. She pulled the cushion from her face. "Pillow fight!" she yelled as she attacked Tak. GIR immediately realized what was going on. "PILLOW FIGHT!" he shrieked happily producing a taco shaped pillow from his head joined in on the fun. As the two girls and the one robot were playing (remember Mimi stayed home to work on something for the band) Dib tapped Zim on the shoulder and gestured for his best friend to come with him into the kitchen. "What's up?" inquired the green skinned teen. "Zim, as a friend you can keep a secret right?" asked Dib nervously. "Sure I can Dib. Why, what's wrong?" "Well it's not really something's wrong per se. But, I do have a couple things I need to tell you." The Irken boy gave his friend his full attention. "Okay first things first. Zim I have a crush on Tak." "Ha I knew it!" shouted Zim triumphantly. Dib put his finer to his lips, "Shh, they might hear you dumbass" said Dib as he looked in the living room to see if they noticed. They didn't luckily and Dib went back to Zim. "The other thing is a bit more difficult. In fact this is the one that's been driving me crazy lately" he said. "Let me guess Dib. You unleashed a plague of zombies on the city?" joked Zim. "No! It's a bit more personal. Zim…I think I'm bisexual."

Now Zim wasn't as shocked by this as Dib had thought he would be. In fact Zim wasn't shocked at all. Much like Gaz he had this sneaking suspicion that Dib was bi. However he did ask a question that sorta made Dib cringe. "You aren't asking me this because you have a crush on me is it?" Dib squirmed a bit, "NO! It's cause you're my best friend and thought you could keep a secret. You can do this can you?" "Of course Dib" assured Zim "Now let's get back to the girls and GIR before they begin to suspect something's up." When they returned to the living room Tak was gone. "Where's Tak?" asked Dib. "She went home for the night" Gaz told him. Zim looked at the time it was late so he decided to head home too. "I guess I should go to. Come GIR." "Okie Dokie!" the little robot chirped happily. "Hey Zim?" called Gaz. "Yeah?" he asked. We're gonna go see Zombies Eat People 3 tomorrow. "Wanna come?" the dark teen asked. "Sure I'll come" said Zim. "Okay. Meet us at the movie theater at 1:00 o'clock tomorrow" she said. The ex-invader nodded and left the house. 'Tomorrow's gonna be fun' thought Zim as he left. Little did he know about the events that would transpire the next day.

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AN: dun, dun, DUUUUN Cliffhanger alert. Well not really I guess. Anyway I'm gonna update every Saturday or Sunday. This wek though I'm updating early to begin on the next chapter as I'm going to Hershey Park for vacation on Sunday and don't want to get behind on my work. Now remember, a horrible tragedy can be prevented if _and only if_ you review. Peace out.


	3. I Just Wanna Have Something to Do

How to Totally Rock!

AN: Here I am again with another chapter of my much loved story: How to Totally Rock! Seriously, I didn't expect to have this many people like it. Anyway this chapter ought to be more interesting than the previous entries. Why? Well I reveal some of the background on how Zim befriended the Membranes. Oh and before I forget. The reason I decided to make Dib bi is because a) I thought it'd be interesting, and b) because of a picture by Crimson-Cat on Deviant Art made me of think that. Now here are the punk references from the previous chapter:

Chapter Name: Red Flag by Billy Talent

Song: Animal Boy by The Ramones

That's it really. I'll try to put more in this chapter though.

Disclaimer: Why don't I own anything? It's not fair. Oh well.

Chapter 3: I Just Wanna Have Something To Do

The alarm clock rang out loudly and obnoxiously from the bed stand. A green clawed hand reached out from under the covers and hit the "off" button. Zim sat up in his bed and stretched. Over the years he had added on to his underground base. It now had an arcade, a small scale movie theater, a massive library, a laboratory made for testing new inventions, a playroom for GIR, and many more things that I have neither the time nor space to list. His rooms walls were covered by posters. Posters for bands like The Exploited, Iggy Pop, The Ramones, From Autumn to Ashes, and The Offspring along with ones for anime like Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, Inuyasha, and Cowboy Bebop hung from the four walls. As he got out of bed he put on a pair of torn jeans and grabbed a t-shirt which had a piñata on it with the line "I'd Hit That" below it. He then went upstairs to the kitchen where GIR was currently making a big batch of his famous waffles. "Hiya master!" he said as Zim emerged from the toilet in the kitchen. "Hello GIR. Making waffles again are we?" "Yep. And muffins" came the robots reply as he produced a huge stack of waffles on a plate and a batch of freshly baked muffins.

"So when are we gonna go see the zombies?" asked GIR about going to the movies. "Gaz said to meet them there at 1:00 GIR. Until then I guess we can do whatever we want" said the Irken as GIR sat down to eat with him. Zim began eating his waffles which over the years had become one of his favorite foods. One of the curious things about living on Earth for so long was the fact that he had adapted to the planet in unexpected ways. First he had a major growth spurt, then he discovered Earth food didn't harm him, and then he learned that he had become immune to the acidic effects that water and other Earth liquid had on him. It was strange as no other Irken had ever gone through this-for lack of a better word-evolution before. But then again he had never heard of an Irken who stayed on a different planet for more than two years before either. He put another forkful of waffle in his mouth as he thought about it. According to some forbidden Irken history files he discovered after being banished a lot of things had changed in the years of Irk since before he was born.

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Apparently, hundreds of years ago when Tallest Miyuki was ruling, the planet was a lot like Earth. Clean, peaceful, and serene the planet was beautiful and flourished with vegetation and wildlife. The people of Irk also apparently were very learned people who wanted to share their remarkable intelligence with the people of nearby planets. He then discovered that people like the Meekrob, the Vortians, the Martians, and even early humans were influenced by the Irkens and their ways which they shared with the aforementioned races and many others. The Irken people also could reproduce the same way many other species could back then. The civilization flourished for many more centuries until after Tallest Spork died. After that a corrupt despot named Tallest Foon who was Sporks older brother decided to take the planets traditions and toss them out the window.

His first order of business was to convince the people of Irk that all other species in the universe were inferior to the Irken way of life. He then started the Invader Program to train all Irkens to be merciless killing machines and abandon pretty much all of their emotions. To do this he introduced the PAK, a machine issued to all Irkens that would supply them with all the nutrients needed to survive. It would also suppress most emotions, convert any kind of atmosphere into one that Irkens could breathe, and allow them to speak and understand any language. After that he ordered all wildlife and vegetation exterminated and have the planet converted into one giant city. When that was completed he ordered cloning facilities to be constructed to mass produce clones of only the best Irkens. Only a few Irkens were then allowed to reproduce naturally. While all clones could too it was generally discouraged.

Tallest Foon also came up with the idea of Operation: Impending Doom but his idea didn't come to fruition until after his death. When he died he left behind no children so an election was held between five candidates. The candidates were all young but excellent soldiers or scientists. Surprisingly enough the outcome was a tie between a soldier and a scientist named Red and Purple respectively. Also surprising was the fact that they were best friends and were some of the few Irkens born naturally. After being elected the two went to work on Operation: Impending Doom which they got up and running within a year of being elected. Zim knew what happened after that though and stopped reading. After learning all of this more things began to make sense to him. He also learned that Irkens could actually survive without their PAK. He found this out though by experimentation.

He had heard that if an Irken got separated from its PAK after it had been attached the poor soul would die within ten minutes. He tested this theory out and when he detached his PAK and waited ten minutes nothing happened. He found himself to be quite alive and decided to destroy the thing that had made him feel like a slave to his planet for so many years. Right after though he realized he would now need to eat food to stay alive. But he found that not to be a problem and ended up enjoying many different kinds of foods. He also decided to try and dress more like a human. This led him to try a variety of clothing stores. He tried Abercrombie & Fitch first but thought the clothes were to gay looking. He tried Gap but came to the same conclusion. He came to the same conclusion with just about every store he went to. Until he saw a relatively new store that had just happened to have opened in the mall. It was called Hot Topic and he found much of the clothing to his liking.

He then tried to listen to human music but found the majority of the music clogging the air waves to be atrocious. Nu-Metal, Emo, most Pop-Punk, and most Gangsta Rap he found to be horrible despite the fact most humans listened to it. He was about to give up on finding music to listen to when GIR had happened to be listening to an album he had downloaded off the Internet. It was called "Americana" by a human group called The Offspring. He listened to it himself and found himself relating to many of the themes in the songs. He also agreed with the bands outlook on life and the corruption of American society.

Wanting to learn more he looked up the group on the Internet and began listening to them and many other artists like them. He grew to like not just punk music but also heavy metal, ska, indie rock, indie hip-hop, and many others. One thing set him apart still from everyone else though. The fact he had no friends. But afraid that trying to gain friends would end up being another Keef incident led him to just not try it at all. Then something curious happened years ago. He had discovered the joys of chat rooms after visiting one upon the insisting of GIR. Now while he wasn't a very social person he had discovered that thanks to the nature of the Internet that people only know as much about you as you tell them he fell in love with it quickly. He could talk with people intelligently all over the world and not leave his house.

He would talk for hours on end with people about things like politics, music, video games, science, anime, cartoons, comics, manga, humanity, evolution, religion, and many other topics. It was the closest he had ever come to actually communicating with humans and not being repulsed by their stupidity and close mindedness. One person in particular caught his attention. She seemed smart and intelligent beyond her years. He formed a sort of online friendship with the girl who called herself DoomBringer6783. One day while talking with her she asked him where he lived. He told her and surprisingly enough she said she lived in the same exact city! Excited he asked if he could meet her. She said yes and agreed to meet him at the mall that Saturday at 12:00. Zim was happy that he was finally going to meet this person who seemed so intelligent and was so enjoyable to talk to. The day came and he put on his disguise to go meet her. "Now GIR I'm going to the mall and don't want you to destroy the place. Can you do that?" he asked. GIR who was watching the Scary Monkey Show turned to look at his master. "Sure thing master" he said happily even though Zim himself knew that the incompetent little robot would forget what he was asked in about five minutes so he turned to Mini-Moose who was floating nearby and whispered "Make sure GIR doesn't destroy anything" to it. "Squeak" was the little moose's response. Zim nodded and left the house.

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At the mall a young girl of about twelve (remember this is a flashback) waited for someone she was supposed to meet in the food court. She met him on an online chat room and thought he was kinda nice so she wanted to meet him. She was hoping he wasn't one of those freaky online pedophile stalkers, but if he was then she had a black belt in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, _and_ Muay Thai kickboxing so she should be safe. But just in case she kept a taser on her person at all times. As she was waiting she began humming one of her favorite songs: Teenagers From Mars by The Misfits. She liked it because she at times felt like she was from another planet and the song touched upon those feelings. Albeit in a snarky, sci-fi inspired way. At about the same time all this was happening Zim walked into the mall and went straight to the food court to meet whoever it was he was supposed to meet. As he walked into the food court he noticed a familiar face he hadn't seen in quite awhile. "Gaz?" asked the alien to the humming girl. Surprised she turned around to see who called out to her. She was presently surprised to see Zim in front of her. "Zim? Oh my God it really is you!" she said. "Why are you here though you don't normally interact with people" she questioned. "Neither do you if I recall" the ex-Invader stated. Gaz nodded in agreement before saying she was waiting for someone. "I'm waiting for someone too. Weird coincidence huh?" was the aliens reply. Gaz, obviously intrigued by this, decided to ask Zim who he was waiting for. "Someone I met on a chat room named DoomBringer6783" was the answer she got. She stopped for a second and then asked him another question. "Zim, is your online name AlienPlanetKiller?" "Yes it is. Why?" "Because I'm DoomBringer6783" she stated plainly. It was Zim's turn to be surprised and go wide eyed. "You mean you're the girl I'm supposed to meet?" he asked the creepy girl. "I guess I am" was Gaz's reply.

The two then got some lunch and talked about how their lives were going and what they were doing. See after Zim was told the truth about his mission he stopped going to school. Unsurprisingly no one noticed his disappearance except Dib who ranted on about how he was probably working on some sort of secret evil experiment. He did this to Gaz especially since he saw her most. However one fateful Friday exactly one month after Zim stopped coming to school Dib was ranting on about Zim to Gaz on the way home from school. "I just know he's doing something evil Gaz. I can feel it in my bones." Now Gaz was of course not paying attention as she was playing Vampire Piggy Hunter on her Game Slave 2. "We need to go to his base, sneak in, find out whatever it is he's doing, and sabotage it" continued the young wannabe paranormal investigator. "Dib, Zim's been gone for a month now. Don't you think that if he was gonna do something "evil" he would have done it by now?" she inquired while still keeping her eyes on her precious game. Dib shook his head, "No it's just probably something really huge and it's taken him this long to finish it. Which means that he is either still trying to finish it or he has finished it and is about to…" "Would you please shut up Dib. I've said it before but I'll say it again, you're voice bugs me."

Dib then did something that he never did before. He snatched Gaz's Game Slave 2 out of her hands. "Look Gaz, I've only told you all this Zim stuff cause you're my sister and siblings share things with each other. I know we don't always act like siblings should but I'm just looking out for your safety and humanities too." After saying this though he expected her to flip out and wail on him for taking her GS2 from her. Instead what happened next astounded him. She began doing something she never really did much, she laughed. It started out low and quiet but then grew to a loud, very creepy level. "Humanities safety from Zim? Oh that's a good one. If humanity needs protecting from anything it's not an incompetent alien like Zim. Humanity needs protection from itself. See Dib, humanity is mostly a bunch of slobbering idiots and ignorant pompous assholes who spend their precious time and energy devising new ways to kill each other. We may have evolved physically from apes Dib, but most of us haven't evolved mentally. Humans spend their time worrying about what other humans are doing and what other humans are thinking. They always criticize each other about how they look, act, think, dress, and go about their general lives. Humanity spends too much time invested in either how to make others feel bad about themselves and then on how to "improve" themselves so they're just like famous people and everyone else. Or they conspire against each other and kill, rape, torture, mutilate, insult, and brutalize people who are of the same species as them. Besides Dib, why should you care? Humanity seems to do nothing but spit in your face for helping them out. Humanity would rather ignore whatever their puny minds perceive as different or berate with savage cruelty. You, me, and hell even Zim have fallen victim to that. So before you lecture me on humanity needing to be saved and how Zim is an evil Invader from another planet take a long fking look in the mirror and think "Is saving humanity really worth all the shit I receive from my fellow man?" Because if I were you, I'd say it ain't." Dib was obviously taken aback by his sister's attitude. She normally just brushed him off so this was a surprise. What was even more surprising was the fact that she was right about all of the things she said. He could only stare as his sister continued to walk home ahead of him.

But that all happened a year ago and what was happening now was Gaz was talking to Zim. That's all that mattered at the moment because that's all she cared about at the moment. "So how's GIR doing? He still as insane as ever or did you fix him?" asked the girl inquisitively. "No, he's still an insane retard" answered Zim. "Well that's good you didn't fix him cause I like him the way he is" the creepy girl replied. "Hey Zim?" "Yeah?" "Why did you disappear for a year?" Zim sighed, he hoped she wouldn't ask this question but knew that she probably would. He decided that instead of trying to lie to her to just tell her the truth. "The reason why Gaz" he began "is because I was officially banished by the Almighty Tallest a year ago. I am now no longer allowed to go anywhere near my home planet again. My mission was a lie. The Tallest had hoped I would've died in space or something. I was never given forgiveness for my incompetence in Operation: Impending Doom 1. The tallest knew the planet was worthless and just sent me here to rot under the disguise of a genuine Invader mission. I guess it sucks to be me." After the ex-Invader poured his guts out to the human female he just sort stared off before continuing.

"Afterwards I considered many things. I considered giving myself up to Dib to turn into the Earth authorities, I considered flying out to the smallest most desolate planet I could find and live the remainder of my years there. Hell, I even considered just drinking myself into oblivion. But I realized that those were all cowards ways out. Maybe not as bad as suicide but still pretty bed. So I just lived in obscurity and seclusion for awhile. I only ever went out to get more food or other things I needed. I still tried to fit into how humans looked when ever I did go out but that was it. The chat room thing was the first time I ever truly interacted with humans and realized they weren't all morons and ignorant shit heads. It made me feel happy to be able to actually talk to people who weren't close minded. But the one who helped me out the most was you Gaz." "Me" asked the girl. Zim shook his head in agreement, "You were the one who I could relate to the most and the one who was the nicest to me. I thank you for that." The human girl just blushed a little and scratched the back of her head. "It was nothing Zim. But it's nice to know I helped you out." After some thinking Gaz asked Zim another question. "Hey Zim? Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?" Zim thought hard but couldn't for the life of him think of anything. "No not really. Why?" "Well maybe you would like to come to my house and play video games or something" Gaz offered. "But what about Dib? He would throw a fit about me being there. And the last thing I need is that asshole running me out of the house I've been invited to." Gaz smirked at this, "Don't worry. If Dib gives us any trouble I'll take care of him. Besides he's going to some lame Swollen Eyeball meeting tomorrow afternoon so you can come over then" she said. Zim thought about it. He had begun playing video games and enjoyed them quite a lot. "Okay I'll be there tomorrow" he agreed. "How about 1:30" asked Gaz. Zim said that was fine and the two went their separate ways for the day.

Back in the present Zim had realized he had stopped eating and was just sort of staring off into space. GIR was waving a hand in front of his face wondering why his master suddenly stopped eating and zoned out. "Master, is you broken?" the SIR unit asked innocently. Zim shook his head to snap himself out of his daze. 'Boy was that crazy. To think that thinking about one thing would lead me to think about another. Oh well.' GIR was looking at his master with his big cyan eyes. "I'm fine GIR don't worry about me. Why don't you go down and play with your piggies" said Zim. GIR's eyes went wide and he began giggling insanely before throwing himself into the garbage can chute and went down into the labs to go to his playroom. Zim chuckled at his insane robot companions actions. As he finished his breakfast though he remembered back on the day when he did go to Gaz's.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was a warm, clear, summer day when Zim went to Gaz's house at the allotted time they both agreed on. He walked up to the door nervously and rang the door bell. He prayed to whatever god might be listening that Dib had decided to stay home or had come home early or something like that. He kept his fingers crossed as the door opened. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was Gaz who had answered the door. "Good, you came" she said as she let him in. "Of course I came. I am ZIM! Why wouldn't I come?" he asked after doing one of his famous "I am ZIM!" cheers. The TV was on and it was playing a cartoon. The cartoon was instantly familiar to him as one of his and GIR's favorites, Ed, Edd, and Eddy. It was one of his favorite episodes too. It was the one where the Eds act like spies and crash Jimmy's birthday party. "Wanna soda?" asked Gaz to her guest. Zim was confused. Since when did she care about anyone else? It was strange but he decided to go with it. "Sure I guess. What do you have?" Gaz went into the kitchen and looked through the fridge. "We got A & W Root Beer, Coke, Mountain Dew Code Red, and some Sprite" she said running down the list of options. Zim had tried all of them before and found them all to be quite enjoyable. "Hmmm… I'll have a root beer" he told her. She then pulled a can of the cold sugary beverage out of the fridge. He took it gratefully and began drinking it.

Afterwards they sat down for awhile and watched cartoons. When they got bored with that they decided to play video games. "So what games do you have?" asked the alien to the creepy girl. She looked through her collection, which she kept on the bookshelf next to the TV and read some of the game names. "I've got Halo, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Dead or Alive 3, Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2, and Capcom vs. SNK 2 for multiplayer games" said Gaz as she offered Zim his options. Zim thought carefully on this. He'd never played Halo before, nor had he played Capcom vs. SNK 2. "Hmm… how about Dead or Alive 3" the green guest replied. Gaz smirked she was a whiz at this game and kicked a lot of ass at it. She had never fought a live opponent before but didn't think Zim could hold his own against her. She put the disc in the Xbox tray and gave Zim another controller she had purchased on the pretense that if Dib decided to give up on the paranormal and play video games.

As the game loaded up Gaz had to get in at least one diss. "You're going down space boy" she taunted. "We'll see who's going down, _human_" he spat back. The game started up and they chose their characters. Gaz picked Hitomi and Zim chose Ryu Hayabusa. They picked the level and started the game. The characters then made their own opening comments and the announcer stated "Get ready… FIGHT!" The two then launched into a frenzy of button mashing mayhem. Gaz to get in the first attack but Zim parried it and threw a combo into the mix, which sent her flying across the level. Gaz made her character jump back on her feet and launched at Zim head on but he blocked and did a grab attack which threw her off balance and he hit her with another combo. This one however threw her character out the window of the building they were fighting in and though a bunch of neon lights before hitting the street. Zim's character jumped down onto the street with his opponent. Gaz was getting desperate and attacked Zim with a special move. Zim side stepped and unleashed a devastating combo which put her character in a K.O. Gaz sat there dumbfounded. She had never expected Zim to be so good. "How the hell did you do that?" she asked in amazement. Zim grinned triumphantly. "Since I secluded myself in my house for so long I ended up playing video games a lot. This was just one of the ones I've mastered." Gaz still couldn't believe she lost and decided it was actually a fluke and decided to keep fighting him.

An hour and a half later though, Zim and Gaz were evenly matched. Each one would win every other match the other didn't. Gaz couldn't help but happily think she had found a worthy opponent. And the first time she ever played against a flesh and blood opponent to boot. However she was getting tired of video games and so was Zim. So they turned off the TV and the system. Gaz looked at Zim for a while. He had changed a good bit since she last saw him a year ago. She didn't like the quiet though and decided some noise was needed. "Hey Zim?" she asked. "What?" he replied. "Do you like a band called System of a Down?" she asked. Zim's eyes widened. He didn't like System of a Down…he _loved_ the band. "Yeah I do as a matter of fact" he said. Hold on then she said and went upstairs. She came back down with a CD in her hand and placed into the Stereo in the living room. She then skipped the first two tracks to one of her fave songs by them.

The kombucha mushroom people,  
Sitting around all day,  
Who can believe you,  
Who can believe you,  
Let your mother pray, (sugar)

Well I'm not there all the time you know  
Some people, some people, some people,  
Call it insane, yeah they call it insane, (sugar)  
I play Russian roulette everyday, a man's sport,  
With a bullet called life, yeah called life,(sugar)  
You know that every time I try to go  
Where I really want to be,  
It's already where I am,   
Cause I'm already there….(sugar)

The kombucha mushroom people,  
Sitting around all day,  
Who can believe you,  
Who can believe you,  
Let your mother pray, (sugar)

I got a gun the other day from Sako,  
It's cute, small, fits right in my pocket,  
Yeah, right in my pocket, (sugar)  
My girl, you know,  
she lashes out every sometimes,  
And I just fucking kick her,  
and then ooh baby, she's O.K. (sugar)  
People are always chasing me down,  
Trying to push my face to the ground,  
Where all they really want to do,  
Is suck out my mother fucking brains, my brains (sugar).

The kombucha mushroom people,  
Sitting around all day,  
Who can believe you,  
Who can believe you,  
Let your mother pray,

I sit, in my desolate room, no lights, no music,  
Just anger, I've killed everyone,  
I'm away forever, but I'm feeling better,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
Fuck you, it all goes away,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
Fuck you, it all goes away,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
In the end it all goes away,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
In the end it all goes away,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
In the end it all goes away,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
In the end it all goes away,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
In the end it all goes away,  
How do I feel, What do I say,  
In the end it all goes away,  
In the end it all goes away,  
In the end it all goes away,  
In the end it all goes away,  
In the end it all goes away.

The whole time the song blared on the stereo Zim and Gaz jammed to it, playing air guitar, and singing along. They listened to a bunch of Gaz's CDs, which included classics like The Ramones, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, AC/DC, Twisted Sister, and Metallica. To modern greats like The Offspring, The Dropkick Murphy's, System of a Down, Slipknot, and Rancid. They listened to music and weren't paying attention to the time. Which was a mistake because Dib was coming home and was right at the door. He heard music blaring from the house and realized Gaz was playing her CDs out loud again. He sighed, "Why does she always do that? The neighbors must hate us by now" he said as he opened the door and walked in. "Gaz could you please stop playing your mus…" he began as he walked in to see his sister and his arch enemy Zim jamming to "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister. Zim slid on his knees pretending to play guitar and came to a stop right in front of the glaring teen. He pointed at the Irken with a look of pure hate in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here you freak" he spat at the alien. "Chill out Dib. I invited him over to play video games and hang out" reassured his younger sister. This made Dibs eyes bulge. He turned to his younger sister slowly and sort of stared at her. "You invited him over?" he questioned the younger of the two siblings. "Yeah, soooo what's the big deal?" "Gaz the big deal is that you invited the _enemy_ into our house. That's like a Polish person befriending a Nazi in World War II." Gaz sighed annoyed. She hated how her brother did this. "Look Dib, Zim isn't the enemy anymore. He told me he was kicked out of the Armada for good." The older sibling wasn't buying it unsurprisingly. "He's probably just saying that to convince you he's changed. He's probably still evil as ever" her brother countered. He turned to Zim, "You're not gonna trick me. I'm still onto you." It was Zim's turn to sigh, "She is right Dib stink. I have been removed from the Armada and banished from Irk." "If that's true then where is your proof?" the teen boy asked. Zim didn't want to do this do to the pain it would bring but to prove his innocence he had to. "I have my proof right here" he said as he produced a small object like a video tape. He put it in their VCR and hit play.

After watching the video the Membrane siblings just sat there shocked. His own leaders had been so cruel as to trick him into thinking he finally had a real mission and then ripped his dreams apart and banished him from his own planet. Dib turned to Zim. "Zim, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Honest" the eldest of the Membranes apologized. "It's okay Dib. I didn't expect you too. I must go now, I think I've overstayed my welcome and I don't want GIR destroying anything important" said the alien as he walked to the door. "Dib you jackass. Did you see how sad that made him? You better apologize or so help me you'll wish I wasn't your sister" Gaz threatened. Dib gulped and knew he had to apologize anyway. He turned to Zim just as he was about to leave. "Zim wait. Do you maybe wanna go to Bloaty's or something tomorrow for lunch with Gaz and me?" Zim felt happy deep down. He had no need to be enemies with Dib and thought they could be great friends. "Sure Dib. That'll be cool."

Back in the present Zim smiled again at the memory. They did become good friends and did have a good time hanging out. He decided he had enough reminiscing for now though and decided to go and watch some TV until he and GIR had to go to the movie.

AN: WHEEEE! Flashback chapter! Anyway I thought you guys might want to see how Zim befriended the Membranes. Hope you like. Now review or I'll send my army of zoinky crack babies after you.


	4. Tennagers From Mars

How to Totally Rock!

AN: Man oh man. I never thought I'd get the hang of this whole fan fiction writing thing so easily. Anyway, I have a couple of announcements. First my birthdays coming up on August 25th. That's the good news. The bad news is I have to go back to the prison system known as school on August 29th. Sucks ass I know. I'll still try and update every week though. I also would like to say that Gaz's whole speech on humanity from the last chapter was written from the heart. Meaning I feel the same way. See I'm half misanthropic. By that I mean that about half of the human population is made up of morons and assholes. Which equates to about 3 billion people. The other 3 billion people who make up the other half are good people. Yes that includes most people on this website. I've also decided I'm going to just have the characters (mostly Gaz) use the f word without censoring it. See I was originally going to censor the lyrics for the System of a Down song from the previous chapter. But I remembered I hated censorship so I thought 'Fuck that shit' and put down the lyrics uncensored. So I have to edit the previous chapters for grammatical errors anyway so I'll put in the full words. Don't worry though. I won't have them saying it all the time. I want to keep this T rated. Well I better shut up and let you read the story. Enjoy!

Punk references from last chapter:

Chapter name: Ramones song name

Song Gaz was humming: Teenagers From Mars by The Misfits. If you don't know who these guys are that's sad.

Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to either Jhonen Vasquez or some other person who I don't feel like looking up.

Chapter 4: Teenagers From Mars

Zim was sitting on the couch eating a bag of chips watching some good old fashioned TV. He was currently watching one of his Fullmetal Alchemist DVDs, which he considered to be one of the greatest things humanity ever produced. Truly anime was great. As the episode ended he looked at the time and saw it was 12:45 and that he and GIR should leave. "GIR!" he called out. There was the sound of something shooting through a system of pipes overhead and GIR fell head first out of a pipe overhead. "Yes my master" he said while giving a salute upside down. "It's time to go to the movie GIR, get your little brother disguise" the Irken commanded to his insane little assistant. GIR stood up and squealed like a teenage school girl who just found a kitten. "We going to see zombies!" he yelled as he ran off to get his disguise.

Zim put his wig and contacts on just as GIR came back in his disguise. Zim grabbed his car invention and typed in a different command than the one from the concert night. This time it turned into a Ferrari 360 Spider. Zim could turn the thing into any car he could want and no one would wonder where he kept them all due to humanities amazing ignorance. He and GIR jumped in and started it up. "How about a little fun GIR?" the driver said to his passenger. He then peeled out of the cul-de-sac at a fast speed. GIR could be heard screaming "WHEEEEEEE" as the car sped away.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Around the same time Zim and GIR were getting ready to go, the Membranes were getting ready to go themselves. Dib had decided to dye the tips of his hair red and was wearing an Army of Darkness t-shirt with Ash saying "Hail to the king, baby!" on it. Accompanying this was his trench coat, jeans, and boots like the ones Nny wears. He was getting impatient because Gaz was taking forever to get ready. "C'mon Gaz we need to go! We told Zim we'd be there at 1:00. At this rate we won't get there until 5:00" he yelled up the stairs. Gaz was in her room putting on her clothes. "I'm coming okay?" she yelled down to her impatient brother. She then came out of her room wearing a t-shirt with the Konami Code on it and below it the message "Nothing can stop me now", baggy jeans, and some Vans sneakers.

"Are you finally ready to go?" Dib asked when she got downstairs. She sighed at how impatient her brother could be. So she decided to sleep to noon on the day they were going to the movies. She was human she forgot things. "For fuck's sake Dib. Yes I'm ready" she said annoyed. "Do you have to be on my case all the time?" she asked as they headed out the front door. "Only when you make us late for something" he countered. "We're not late for cripes sake!" she exclaimed. "It's only 12:48" she added looking at her watch. Dib wasn't going to give up that easily though. "But it takes ten minutes to get there from where we live." Gaz was tired of this and wanted it to stop. And she _always_ got what she wanted, one way or another. "Look Dib. It wouldn't matter if we were ten minutes late. The movie doesn't start until 1:30 anyway and the first ten minutes of the previews are just goddamn ads. So just shut up about it or else." Dib decided it would be a good idea to drop the subject. He started up the car and drove to the theater.

Tak too was getting ready for the movie at her…umm… "base". It was actually an apartment she got after landing back on Earth. It was actually quite expensive and she could only afford it after using her currency duplicator one more time before it died from extensive damage in the crash. She was out of her disguise and was currently working on some new invention in the backroom she turned into a small laboratory. As she was busy fine tuning the secret invention, Mimi walked in. "Master, it is getting close to the time we are supposed to meet the others" she announced. Tak looked at the time and sighed. She would just have to finish it when she got back. Oh well, at least she'd get to see Dib again. See Tak had a crush on Dib just as he had one on her. However Mimi was the only one who knew and promised she wouldn't tell anyone.

"OK Mimi, I'll be right there" said the inventing Irken. She got up from behind the workbench she was sitting at and stretched a bit. She was wearing a Joan Jett and the Blackhearts t-shirt with a pair of Naruto dog tags. She was also wearing black baggy pants, and some Element sneakers. She activated her holo-disguise and walked out to the living room. Mimi was waiting out there with her disguise on two. Her holo disguise made her look like a younger version of human Tak. Because of this many people thought they were sisters. Which is exactly what Tak wanted them to believe.

"Do you have your money master?" asked Mimi to Tak as they left the apartment. "Yes Mimi, it's in my wallet" Tak replied to her SIR unit. "You really must really stop worrying so much Mimi." Her SIR unit sighed at this. She only pestered her master because she had a tendency to forget things. Being banished had taken it's toll on the once mighty Irken warrior. She became slightly forgetful, a bit clumsy at times, and less energetic. Mimi was happy though that Tak had made friends with the Membrane siblings and Zim. She needed the companionship after being treated like dirt by the Tallest.

They would unfortunately have to take the bus as there was no other way they could get there on time. The bus was nowhere near as bad as Zim made it out to be. Well, at least if you didn't use it during rush hour. Otherwise it was as bad. Luckily it was early afternoon on a Saturday so hardly anyone was on the bus. She got on and paid the toll for herself and Mimi. She sat in the back as no one usually sat back there. Not even during rush hour. She just sat back and enjoyed the ride to the mall where the movie theater was.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Coincidentally, everyone arrived at _exactly_ the same time, which everyone could agree was odd. They all went into the movie theater, which had been added onto the mall a couple of years ago to replace the old one downtown. This one was bigger and held eighteen separate theaters inside. After paying for the tickets (and bribing the kid at the ticket counter to let GIR and Mimi, who he thought were underage kids into the movie) they decided to get their snacks. This was the difficult part due to the fact GIR usually ordered so many snacks it was hard to carry. As they waited in line to see their movie a bunch of popular kids from their school walked by led by Jessica, the most popular (and annoying) girl in school. Sure it might have been stereotypical to call her a "dumb blonde", but in her case it was very, very, _very_, accurate.

She and Gaz were also mortal enemies and went at each others throats constantly. Though usually it was because Jessica provoked her. Gaz hoped to God that she wouldn't notice. Too bad God was still sleeping. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Mem-lames and Dim and Hack. What a pleasant surprise." Another thing about Jessica was her horrifically bad insults. If there was an entry in Guinness for "lamest insults ever" she'd definitely be in it. Gaz turned to her arch enemy and grimaced. Jessica was wearing a sparkly t-shirt that had a stupid cartoon monkey on it with devil horns and the slogan "Bad Girl" on it. _That_ sure as hell was not far from the truth.

"Jesus Jessica, what happened to your nose? Did it always look that way or did you pay Torque to break it for you" remarked Gaz about the hideous nose job her enemy had. Jessica of course scowled at this. "This was an expensive nose job you hag! The boys at school think it makes me beautiful." Gaz chuckled at this. "Are you sure it's not because they don't wanna upset you so you'd sleep with them? Or maybe they're just spending too much time staring at your tits to notice?" the dark teen shot back. This made Jessica furious and Dib worried. They weren't in school so teachers breaking up the fight, was out of the question. "Gaz maybe you should just drop it. I mean I don't think…" "Shut up Membrane. Keep your nose out of my business. Besides I'm surprised you even show up in public anyway. You trying to find girls because you can't get laid?" This hurt Dibs feelings and made both Gaz and Tak angry. "**WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO HIM?"** Gaz growled to her enemy. "What the fuck did you just say?" By now she was yelling at the blonde bitch who just insulted her brother. "Alright slut the gloves are off. Get ready for the smack down." Gaz was pissed and when she got really pissed no one could stop her. Luckily before any blood could be shed a passer by saw what was going down and jumped (literally) in between the two girls. He was tall had a t-shirt that read "Smile Fucker!" with a smiley face and tall boots with smiley faces on 'em.

"I think that's enough Gaz" the tall figure said. She looked up at the figure. It was a person she met a long time ago and who she had stayed friends with since. His name was Johnny or as he liked to be called, Nny. "Be glad your gay little friend here saved the day. Otherwise I'd have wiped the floor with you" said Jessica. Johnny heard the insult though and knew the stupid girl behind him deserved to be sent off with a little present. He slowly turned around with a creepy grin on his face. "I only stopped her so I could take care of you myself" he said menacingly while producing two long knives with little smiley faces at the end of the handles. The girls screamed and ran away scared out of their non-existent minds.

"Nny, couldn't you have left them to me?" questioned Gaz. Nny sheathed his knives and looked down at the creepy girl before him. Though he didn't have to look as far down anymore considering she had grown. "Look Gaz, I only did that so it wouldn't get ugly in here" he said. "Oh and I suppose _that_ little stunt wasn't making things ugly?" Gaz questioned. "You gotta be careful carrying those knives around. If you get caught with them you can be arrested." Nny laughed though. "Gaz, I'm me. I never get caught. Not when I killed the many stupid people of this world, and definitely not now." He had a point. Johnny had never been caught when he performed vicious murders back when she was younger. Though in retrospect, everyone he killed deserved it.

But how did Gaz meet Johnny? That's a good question. It all happened a year or so before Zim landed on Earth. A new student had joined her class. His name was Todd but everyone called him Squee due to the sound he made when he got scared. One day for "Show and Tell" he said he had nothing to show but something to tell. Apparently he lived next door to a serial killer named Johnny and had all sorts of screwed up encounters with weird monsters. He ended up being put in a mental institution because his parents thought his craziness was rubbing off on them. The event scarred him and as he said "Raped all the innocence out of him". He was now a shell of the once innocent Squee he said he once was. Gaz just thought he was trying to get attention. However she found the whole "serial killer next door" thing to be interesting.

As soon as he sat down next to her, she asked him if any of it was true. He said it was and said he couldn't give two shits if she believed him or not. She said she wanted to see the house where the serial killer lived. He said he could do the girl one better and show her the house _and_ introduce her to the serial killer since he lived with him. Gaz said that'd be cool. The boy invited her over to his house after school. When the bell rang they both left the classroom to go to his house.

As they approached his house he turned to her. "Careful. My house is screwed up something fierce" he warned. "I think I can handle it Squee" the girl assured him. "Whatever" Squee replied as he opened the door. "Nny, I'm home." "Look Reverend Meat, I don't care if vampire poodles were taking over the world with the help of mutated hamburger meat. I just want to know where the goddamn Pop-Tarts are" came the agitated voice of a human male. "JOHNNY! I'M FUCKING HOME!" shouted Squee this time. A tall man with black hair poked his head out a doorway. "Oh sorry Squee I didn't hear you there at first." He then noticed the girl standing next to Squee. "Why hello there little girl. Hey Squee? Is she your girlfriend?" he asked jokingly. "No Johnny. She's just a friend I made in class today." Johnny walked out from the other room and went up to Gaz. "And what is your name little girl?" he asked. Gaz balled up her hand in a fist and punched Nny in the gut. He collapsed on the floor clutching his gut wheezing. "What the fuck? I only asked you what your name was." Gaz stood over him and glared, "It's Gaz" she said in an annoyed tone "and don't _ever_ callme a little girl."

She turned to Squee who was looking pretty freaked out by the fact that a ten year old girl just took down a 26 year old ex-serial killer with a single punch to the gut. "So is this the ex-serial killer?" she asked. Squee just nodded. Gaz turned around to face Johnny who was sitting up. "Nice to meet you Nny" she said. Okay it's a bit pf unorthodox way for two people to meet but dammit if it isn't amusing. Anyway back in the present the creepy girl was still talking to Gaz who had asked him how things were going. She asked how Squee was doing, how things were going over at the Slave Labor (Nny got offered a job to make Happy Noodle Boy a full blown comic series), how the marriage to Devi was going, and various other things.

As they were talking about this Zim leaned over to Dib. "Hey Dib? Who's the freaky looking bad ass?" "That's Johnny or Nny as he likes to be called. He's an ex-serial killer who's now a comic book creator" Dib replied. "Wait. He's an ex-serial killer. Why isn't he locked in an asylum?" inquired Tak. Dib shrugged "The man never got caught. Not once. He's invincible." The two Irkens looked at the older human male with a look of awe in their eyes. "So what are you doing here Gaz?" asked Johnny. "I'm here with my brother and some friends to see 'Zombies Eat People 3'" she said. Johnny looked up at Dib, Zim, Tak, GIR, and Mimi. "Hi there" he said. "Hope I didn't scare the crap outta you." "What are you kidding? That was awesome!" Tak said in with a sense of admiration in her voice. "Yes Mr. Nny, that was quite amazing. Even to the mighty Zim" Zim added in. Mimi just gave him a thumbs up and GIR…well let's just say that GIR was currently thinking about wienies telling him to dance into oblivion with them.

"Well I better go. I gotta pick Squee up from his bands practice" said Johnny. Gaz's eyes snapped open. "Wait. Since when did Squee have a band?" Nny turned around to look at Gaz. "He started it over the summer. I thought he told you?" Gaz thought hard. She couldn't remember him telling her. "No he didn't" she said. "What kind of music does he play?" asked Dib pretty much asking the question Gaz was gonna ask. "Basically punk-metal. He's the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. They haven't really written many songs themselves. They mostly just play covers" Nny told them. "Why the sudden interest?" "We started a band too" said Tak. Nny looked impressed. "That's cool. I'll tell Squee about it okay. See ya guys later." As he walked off Zim walked up to Gaz and said "That's one freaky dude." Gaz just shrugged. "Yeah but he's still bad ass." "Damn straight" the Irken said in return.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After the movie was over the friends all walked out pf the theater satisfied. "Thank God there are still movies like that coming out or I'd have to kill myself" said Tak. "I know. Hollywood today spends too much time on special effects and big name actors. It's nice to see a good old fashioned low budget blood and guts horror movie every now and then" was Gaz's opinion. "I liked the 'sploding heads!" squealed GIR. "They was all like "boom" and "splat" and stuff." Mimi giggled at GIR's sound effects and hyperactivity.

"Zombies are always cool. No one can deny that" said Dib (AN: It's true.) "Yes they are. Yes they are" agreed Zim.

"So what do you wanna do now?" asked Gaz. "I dunno let's just hang out at the mall" said Zim. "That sounds good" agreed Tak. So they all decided to hang out at the mall and maybe just screw around. GIR and Mimi went to the arcade, Tak and Dib went to Waldens, and Zim and Gaz decided to go to FYE. As the two teens walked into the store Gaz took a deep whiff of the air. "Smells like new music" she said as she rushed over to the punk/ska section of the store. "Oh, hell yes!" she exclaimed. "What? What is it?" asked Zim as he walked up to her. They have "A Million In Prizes: The Best of Iggy Pop". I've been waiting for them to get a copy of this for awhile" she said excitedly. Zim looked at the CD she was holding with a look of interest on his face. "Tell me Gaz. I've been listening to punk for quite awhile now. But who is this Iggy Pop you seem to like so much?" Gaz looked at him with a look of bewilderment on her face. "You're kidding right?" she asked. "I assure you the mighty Zim does not kid." She sighed slightly realizing she'd have to explain it all to him.

"Okay, Iggy Pop is a well known punk artist who helped establish punk. He was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan as James Osterberg. He started his first band, The Iguanas, as a drummer. The Iguanas fell apart and he realized he had better promise as a singer. He then started a garage rock group called The Stooges in the late 60's. The band became well known due to the simplistic and fast nature of the songs and his stage presence. See he would do crazy shit on stage like crawl around on all fours like an animal, cut himself with broken glass, smear raw hamburger meat or peanut butter all over himself or jump randomly into the crowd. Many rock historians say they consider him to be the one who invented stage diving. The Stooges only lasted for three albums though and he sort of fell out of the music industry for a few years. However after groups like The Ramones and The Dead Boys appeared and openly admitted to The Stooges being an influence he returned as a solo punk artist. He then went on to release some of the best punk music ever recorded."

After explaining this all to Zim the alien was dumbstruck. "He would cut himself on stage?" he asked. "Yep." "On purpose?" "Uh huh." "And he would smear raw meat and peanut butter on himself?" "What was I speaking French? I said he did didn't I?" Zim thought about this for a minute before sarcastically saying, "No I'm pretty sure that was English." Gaz smirked and playfully punched his shoulder. "Alright, don't be a smart ass." After that though the two perused the DVDs. "Hey! They have that new Naruto DVD boxset. First thirteen episodes completely uncensored" said Zim as Gaz walked up to him. "Man that show is so freaking awesome. I should get it" said Gaz as she reached into her pocket to grab her wallet. When she looked in her heart sank. "Goddammit" she swore. "What, what is it Gaz?" asked Zim. "I forgot I lent some of my money to Dib" she said. Zim took pity on the human as she looked like she really wanted to get both the CD and the boxset. At first he was about to just hand her the money but a voice in his head stopped him. '_What are you doing fool!_' the voice said to him. 'I'm giving Gaz some money to buy her boxset. I have plenty anyway and she really wants it.' He answered in his mind. '_You idiot! Have you not learned anything from earth culture? When an Earth female wants something really bad she'll be passive aggressive about it to get the male to buy it for her._' Zim stopped and thought about that. But then a realization struck him. 'But isn't that only on crappy Earth sitcoms? And isn't that only when the two are in a relationship?' he questioned. '_Touche_' said the voice.

"Uhh… Zim?" said Gaz waving a hand in front of his face. Zim snapped back to reality. "What, huh?" he said as he looked around him. "You sort of just dazed off for a few minutes there" she said. "Dazed? Or genius?" he asked. She laughed. She loved when he acted like that. "Anyway, umm…here" he said as he thrust some money at Gaz. "What's this for?" she asked. "Your boxset" he replied. Her eyes went wide and she did something that caught Zim off guard…she hugged him. "Thanks Zim" she said. Zim blushed a bit before saying anything. "Yes well…umm…your welcome" he said. However as she went up to the counter to buy her stuff, a figure in the back of the store was watching them with hate filled eyes.

AN: Another cliffhanger! Oh the inhumanity! Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh and if you don't get the 'Dazed? Or genius?' reference go to  and watch some of the stuff there. This is GunGreg89 saying, review or I'll have to hurt you. And it'll hurt quite a bit. Actually what I'll be going for is horrendously agonizing pain so if it only hurts a little, tell me.


	5. Ruby Soho

How to Totally Rock!

AN: Well I had a kick ass birthday. It was excellent as all get out. Got the new Naruto Uncut boxset vol. 1, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, a new iPod, and the special edition version of Slipknot's album Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses. Unfortunately by the time you read this, I'll be back in school. I'd like to take a moment to quote something a character in the manga "Battle Club" said. He said "School's like a prison…but with less ass rape." Too true, well here's the new chapter of How to Totally Rock!

Punk references from last chapter.

Chapter Name: Misfits song name

Artist who Gaz was geeking out over: Iggy Pop. If you have never heard his music, you're missing out.

Chapter 5:

While Zim and Gaz were messing around in FYE, Tak and Dib were checking some stuff out in Waldens. Dib was busy geeking out over the comics. He was busy trying to explain to Tak how if Wolverine and Superman got into a fight, Wolverine would win. "Think about it Tak" the boy said to the alien girl next to him. "Wolverine could win easily. He's fast, strong, agile, small, and just so bad ass." "No way Dib, Superman is pretty much invincible" countered the girl next to him. "But what if Wolverine coated his claws in Kryptonite?" asked Dib. Tak thought about this before realizing something. "Wait aren't Superman and Wolverine both superheroes? Why would they be fighting in the first place?" Dib thought about this too. "I guess you're right. But still it makes for great conversation" he said with a grin on his face. Tak loved that grin to death. Though as she was lost in her thoughts about Dib, they were interrupted by a rather annoying human. "Hey baby why don't you drop this loser and hang out with a real man."

Tak turned around to see a tall well built teenage boy behind her. "Piss off annoying meatbag. Unless you want me to rip your spine out through your ass" she threatened. The big jock just smiled, "Oooohhh, feisty! I like that." "Hey leave her alone! She doesn't want you to waste her time anymore" said Dib. "Who's gonna make me?" the jock asked. "Me" said Dib as he then rushed the big ape and pummeled him with a series of Matrix like kung fu moves. "Thank you Dib!" said Tak. "How can I ever repay you?" "How 'bout a kiss baby?" he said. Back in reality however Dib had just sort of zoned out. "Hey shit head!" the jock said. Dib snapped out of his daydream and stared at the jock. "I said, 'Who's gonna stop me?'" "I am" said Dib with all he could. He was kinda scared due to the fact that the dude was about five inches taller, and very muscular. 'Dear God! I probably just signed my own death certificate' he thought as the taller teen glared down at him. "I'd like to see you try queer" the jock said to Dib. Immediately something snapped in Taks head and she rushed up and kicked the big asshole in the nuts. He doubled over in pain from the blow to his package. Tak then grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted him up to her face. "If you ever talk like that to him and/or harass me again, I won't just kick you in the crotch. I'll fucking RIP IT OFF!" she threatened just then the jock got up on his feet and ran screaming like a scared little girl.

'Holy shit!' thought Dib. 'She's just like Gaz.' She turned back to him with an annoyed look on her face. "Could you believe that guy?" she asked him. Dib was staring at his shoes though as she talked to him. "What's wrong Dib?" she asked. He looked up at her and sighed. "I feel like such a goddamn weakling. I shouldn't be so weak. I need to protect the people I care about" he said. Tak looked shocked by what he just said. "You…care about me?" she asked him. He then freaked out at his slip of the tongue. "Well y-yeah, I mean you're my friend right?" he said nervously. Tak was disappointed by this she was hoping he would say he loved her. It seemed he only cared for her as a friend after all. "Well thanks Dib" she said. "No prob" he replied. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid' he thought to himself as he mentally punched himself. 'Why the heck can't I just tell her how I feel? I swear, at times I feel like I'm in some crazy romantic comedy anime, or some dork's fan fiction.'

Now as a change of pace we switch over to GIR and Mimi at the arcade. And oh what an arcade it was. It was pretty big for a mall one as it contained games from the 80's to the present. Everything from classics like Pac Man, Tron, Double Dragon, and Street Fighter II, to modern hits like Time Crisis 3, House of the Dead 4, Target: Terrorism, and Tekken 5. The game GIR was playing though was a little different. It was Point Blank 2 one of his favorite games at the arcade. He was the one who got the highest score all the time on all, and I mean _all_, of the mini-games. He was a master, completely and utterly invincible. It would be impossible for anyone (except Gaz of course) to come anywhere near the high score. He had just beaten the mini-game where you have to blow up a car before it lands on you, and he was smoking. "Wow GIR! I didn't know you were this good!" said Mimi admiringly. "I like all the 'splosions and flashy lights" he stated to the robot next to him. "Master says blowing stuff up in real life is bad cause we could get found out. But I like this game because I can blow things up and watch the two funny cartoon men run around." He was referring to the game series mascots Dr. Dan and Dr. Don, who looked suspiciously like Mario and Luigi. One has to wonder if that can be considered copyright infringement. But that's a discussion for another day because a bigger problem was headed their way. It was a hyper, pompous jerk who claimed he was "the best gamer ever" and loved to babble incoherently for hours about his overly exaggerated gaming triumphs. His, or should I rather say it's, name was Iggins. He was wearing a ridiculous t-shirt that read 'Reasons Why Games Are Better Than Girls' and gave a list of reasons.

He walked over to Point Blank 2 and saw the two robots at the game. "What are you two _children_ doing playing _my _game?" he asked putting an emphasis on the words children and my. Mimi looked at him with a bewildered look on her face. 'Who does this fat tub of lard think he is? It's not _his_ game' thought Mimi. She was about to tell him this when GIR just said, "We can always share." This comment repulsed the obese fan boy. "SHARE!" he shrieked like the very word was some kind of horrific disease. "I shouldn't have to share with pests like you!" he yelled at the little robot. GIR's little robot eyes then began to fill with tears and he began crying. Mimi was furious by now at the dumb kid in front of her. "You horrible monster! Why did you have to make him cry?" she said to him. "Oh shut up you worm. He should learn to grow a spine. Maybe then he won't be such a wuss."

"Who's a wuss?" asked a familiar female voice Iggins spun around to see Gaz. "What are you doing here anyway Iggins?" she asked. "I'm here because I'm the supreme gamer of the universe" he proudly stated. Gaz looked at the score listings on Point Blank 2 that were going across the screen. "That's not what these scores say" she told him. He turned around to see all the scores with the name "GIR" next to them. "That's impossible!" he said with a tone of confusion in his voice and a look on his face to match. "Nobody can beat my scores. What kind of cruel prank is this?" "It's not a prank Iggins. There's just a better gamer than you and he's the person you owe an apology to" said Gaz. Iggins turned around with anger in his eyes. "I owe him nothing!" he screamed. Gaz was pissed at the annoying fat kid and wanted to send him away crying. "Look Iggins. Just because you're butt ugly and will never get laid, doesn't mean you can take your anger out on other people. Especially my friends." Iggins was now hit in his weak spot, his looks. "But my Mom says I'm handsome" he protested to the dark teen. Gaz chuckled at this pathetic attempt at keeping his confidence up. "Oh please Iggins. Your mother is just probably so repulsed by you that she just says that so you can leave her alone." Iggins was beginning to freak out now. "No, it's not true! NOOOOOOO!" he screamed while running out of the arcade. "You're cruel you know that?" said Zim as he walked up behind her. "I know" she said proudly. "C'mon guys, it's time to go" said Zim to the two robots. "Yes sir" said Mimi. GIR jumped to his feet. "Okie dokie!" he said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When they left the mall it was late. Not late, late, more like six or seven o'clock late. The group decided some food was in order lest they pass out from starvation. They decided on one place that they could all agree on. Chic-fil-a, one of the best fast food joints ever (it's true)! When they got in they were welcomed by a nice blast of AC. It was already evening and it was still 85 degrees out. "This feels good. I can't believe how hot it's been" said Dib as they walked into the building. "I know. According to my studies of the Earth it doesn't normally get this hot around here" said Tak. "I blame global warming" said Gaz. "I concur. The state of the world today would be a lot better if people would just stop fucking it up" agreed Zim. "Thank goodness I stopped trying to take over this planet. I mean c'mon! In a couple hundred years this planet is probably gonna look just like Irk." Zim had a point. Humans were just screwing up the only planet they had to live on. After the Mars incident humans really didn't have anywhere else to go except maybe the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

After waiting in line to get their food they got to the front of the line to place their orders when they noticed that the worker was Torque. "Welcome to Chic-fil-a how my I provide you with excellent service?" he asked in an uninterested voice to the group while staring off into space. "Uhh Torque? We're over here" said Dib to the bored teen working the cash register. He looked at the group with the still bored look on his face. "Oh sorry Dib. It's just working this register is boring as hell." Dib and Torque weren't friends per se. They were more like acquaintances. Torque had become the typical hardcore kid. Listening to groups like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Sick of it All, Agnostic Front, Bad Religion, Madball, that sort of thing.

He also followed the straight edge lifestyle very closely. He never drank, smoked, or did drugs. While the group was straight edge, most of them had drunk before. It wasn't hard for Gaz and Dib to drink when their Dad wasn't around most of the time. After placing the order for their food and getting it the gang sat down near the windows. They seemed to eat a lot together. It was almost like the group of friends had become a family. "So Mimi? What was it you were working on yesterday?" asked Gaz inquisitively. Mimi sipped on her Sprite a little before putting it down with a sigh. "I guess I should tell you. I spent all of yesterday trying to get together this" she told them as she produced a small envelope to them. They looked at it for a bit before someone decided to open it. That someone was Zim who snatched up the envelope and tore it open. He looked at the letter inside and his jaw hit the floor. "I don't believe it" he gasped out. "What? What is it?" asked Dib. "We're…we're…we're…" "Gonna make biscuits!" GIR interjected into Zim's odd speechlessness. "No, we're in the upcoming Battle of the Bands" said Zim. "We're what?" Gaz shouted/asked. Zim then began to read the letter to the others.

"Dear Mimi,

We're very excited to have you and your friends' band in our contest. The contest this year will be on Friday, July 6. It will go from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Thank you for your interest and participation.

See ya there,

Dexter Mitchell."

After reading the letter, everyone was silent for a bit. Zim turned to Tak. "Did you know about this?" he asked. Tak looked back at him with a look of surprise on her face too. "No I knew nothing about it." A realization hit Gaz suddenly. "Wait! Today's the 26th of June. We don't have a lot of time to practice then." "First we need a name. A cool band needs a cool name" said Dib. "How about Mysteries of the Beyond?" said Dib. "Too corny" said Zim. "How about the Vampire Piggy Hunters?" asked Gaz. "We'd get sued for copyright infringement" said Tak. "The Pirate Monkeys" shrieked GIR. "Issa awesome name." But everyone just stared at him. "No. A band name needs to have a nice ring to it without it being to flashy or long" said Zim. Just then he was hit with an idea. "I've got it!" he announced. "Spill out Zim. What is it?" said Dib. "It's the Waffle Eaters I bet" said GIR. "How bout, The Invaders." They all looked at each other. It was a cool name. Not to flashy, short, sweet, and to the point. Everything a good band name should be. "That seems good" Mimi said. "Okay then we have a name. Starting tomorrow, we practice everyday till this thing comes. Then we blow the people's brains out!" said Gaz to the others. "Yeah!" they all shouted. "Pipe down you stupid kids! I'm trying to eat here!" a middle aged man yelled. "Go fuck yourself" said Gaz. Yep, this was truly the beginning of a long road for them.

AN: My God this chapter sucks so much ass. I can't believe how short it is. If you hate me now, I'm sorry. The next one will be better and will feature the competition. I hope now that school starts I'll still be able to update frequently and right nice long chapters again. Well I'm done. Please review. I'm too tired to come up with a valid threat.


	6. Vicinity of Obscenity

How To Totally Rock!

AN: What stinks in here? Oh that's right, THE LAST CHAPTER! Man oh man, did it suck. Sure everyone here seemed to like it but I just hated it. I couldn't think of anything good to right after the awesomeness that was chapters 3 and 4, 5 just sort of, you know, floundered. I guess being a writer isn't so easy after all. Also, my family is painting the kitchen, which is right next to the game room where the computer is. In other words I feel light headed, disoriented, weird and kinda crappy. I also think I might be getting high from the fumes. That's not good. In other news, I will reveal a couple of my songs on this chapter. This is also the chapter with the Battle of the Bands thing in it. And if you're wondering about the story behind Tak returning to Earth and befriending the Membranes and Zim, I'll explain it in the next chapter after this. Enough talking, let's rock!

Punk references:

Straight Edge: Basically a philosophy where you don't drink, smoke, do drugs, or have promiscuous sex. The philosophy's seeds had been sewn in earlier punk groups, but the name came from Ian Mckaye from Minor Threat. To learn more look it up on Wikipedia.

Chapter 6: Vicinity of Obscenity

The next couple of weeks were grueling for The Invaders. They practiced everyday for a few hours straight. They spent time not just practicing, but also writing their own songs. They wanted something fresh and new for the contest. Covers were good but if you want to make a good impression as an up and coming band original material would be best. Covers would just be icing on the cake. The majority of the songs were written by Gaz and Zim but everyone had a hand in writing some songs. The concert was that night and they were all gathered in the Membranes living room deciding on the set list to play. "Okay, so we'll start with "School's Like Prison…But With Less Ass Rape", then "Everybody Hates My Guts. But That's Okay I Hate My Guts Too", kick it into hyper drive with "Animals Taste Good", "Screw the Draft" to piss off the mega patriots, "Don't Pay Your Taxes" for an extra kick, and end it off with "Racists All Suck". How about that guys" said Gaz to the others.

"Sounds solid. I got nothing against it" said Dib. "It's good" was Tak's opinion. "I just wanna play the drums" was GIR's opinion. "Good, because Zim and I had to go through our song collection to find the right songs. Each band gets only a half hour for a set. These songs should keep us neatly in that time limit." "I still can't believe we're going to be playing a show like this. Where is it again exactly?" Zim asked Mimi. "In the park. Apparently the event organizers thought it'd be better if they put it outside instead of trying to cram a bunch of bands backstage at The Pit." Everyone was pumped for this and it could be seen on their faces. Gaz was the only one who was calm. She was wearing a short sleeve white button up dress shirt with a red tie, baggy plaid shorts, and combat boots. Zim was decked out in a Mindless Self Indulgence t-shirt, baggy black jean shorts, Hawk Shoes sneakers, and two wristbands. One had a small metal plate with the Konoha leaf symbol on it, and the other had the Flamel Cross from Fullmetal Alchemist on it.

Dib was wearing a t-shirt with three faces on it with one having its mouth sewn shut, the second with missing eyeballs, and the third with a stake going through one ear and out the other. Below this it said: Speak No Evil, See No Evil, Hear No Evil. He was also wearing khaki pants, and Vans Descendents signature shoes. Tak was wearing a t-shirt with the Guns N' Roses logo on it, ripped jeans, and checkered boat shoes. GIR also had a different shirt on. He was wearing a brand new Gorillaz t-shirt that he loved to death. "So we got an hour and a half before we get there. What should we do?" asked Tak. "There's only one thing we can do…play Burnout Revenge!" shouted Gaz. "Yeah!" everyone shouted in unison.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

An hour and fifteen minutes later, the group was done playing the game. Unsurprisingly, Gaz and Zim were equally matched in race mode. GIR however was the best in Crash mode. After stretching for a bit, the group went to the garage to get their equipment. In order for easy storage and transport, they had Zim bring in his infinite matter storage device. After getting the crap put in the little device, they got into Dibs car and drove down to the park where the concert was being held.

Parking was tight as there were tons of people. Luckily, they were able to get a good parking space. After climbing out, they made their way to the sign in area. "Jesus this place is pretty damn packed" said Gaz as they walked to the sign up booth. "It just shows how popular this thing is to you humans" said Mimi. "Lookie at all the people!" GIR shrieked as they walked past groups of people. When they got to the sign in area, they went right to one of the organizers. "Name of band please" the organizer said to Zim. "The Invaders" he said with a sense of pride in his voice. "Okay, we'll also need member names and positions." After getting their stuff straightened out, the gang began to walk around. "Okay, according to the schedule here we're on after a band called The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses" said Dib. "That sounds like a cool name" said Gaz. "Gaz, hey Gaz!" came a voice from behind the group. Gaz spun around to see a raven haired teen come running towards her. "Squee? Oh my God how are you?" she asked. The boy was about as tall as Zim, well built without being to muscular, and was wearing a Motorhead t-shirt.

"I'm fine. Hey Johnny told me you were in a band" he said to her. "Yeah that's why we're here" she told him. "Sweet. My band's here too" he said. "What's their name?" Gaz asked him. "The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses" he said. "Wait. _You're_ band is The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses?" the dark teen asked him. "Yep." "We're the band playing after you guys." Squee was surprised this time. "You're shitting me?" he asked. "Nope. We're The Invaders." Squee was impressed by this, "So these are the members in the band he said pointing to the group behind her. "Yep. I'm on vocals and lead guitar, the green kid is Zim, he's our other vocalist and bassist. You know my brother Dib. He's rhythm guitarist, Tak the girl over there is our keyboardist. GIR, Zims little brother, is our drummer, and Mimi, Taks little sister, is our manager."

"Nice to meet you guys" he said to them. Most of them just nodded to him. Zim on the other hand leaned over to Dib. "Who's this human?" the alien bassist inquired to Dib. "That's Todd. People who know him real well though call him Squee due to the fact that when he was younger, he made that noise a lot when frightened." "What connection does he have with Gaz?" Zim pressed farther. "He's Gaz's oldest friend. They met when they were ten, about a year before you came" Dib answered. "And how close are they?" Zim asked. He then turned to his alien friend with a look of confusion and wondering on his face. 'Why does Zim care so much about how close Squee and Gaz were?' Then the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Did Zim, the once cold and loner type invader, have a crush on his sister? It would make the most sense considering how much Zim and Gaz hated a lot of humanity. They also spent a lot of time together. Sure Gaz spent a lot of time with Squee and Tak, but he knew Gaz didn't have any feelings towards Squee. And he certainly knew she wasn't a lesbian or bi. But he wondered if Gaz felt the same way towards Zim. "Dib, you haven't answered my question" said Zim. "They're just friends Zim. Just ordinary everyday friends." Dib told him.

However Zim still felt uneasy about Squee's relationship with Gaz. 'Maybe if I ask her myself' he thought. '_No you fool! If you do that she could get angry at you or something_' another voice in his head said to him. 'Wait, who the hell are you and why do I keep hearing another voice in my head besides my own?' he asked the voice. '_Well Zim, I'm sorta like your conscience_' the voice told him. 'My conscience? Since when did I have a conscience?' Zim asked the voice again. '_Since you destroyed your PAK. It kept your emotions in check and kept making you believe that what you were doing was the "right" thing to do. Apparently I came in right after you got rid of the blasted thing. It just took me awhile to be able to get loud enough for you to hear me._' Zim thought on this for a minute. 'So…what? Do you give me advice or something?' he asked it. '_Uh duh! What else are consciences supposed to do? Sit on our asses and drink cocktails all day? Because if we were, this would be a lot more enjoyable_' his conscience shot back to him.

'I thought consciences were supposed to be kind and helpful. So far all you've done is yell at me and be sarcastic.' '_Oh boo fucking hoo. Did I make the little baby upset?_' 'Do you have any reason to be here besides to berate me?' '_Actually I do. I'm here to talk about Gaz_' Zim was caught off guard by this. 'What about her? We're good friends, mmmkay? I don't see what there is to talk about.' His conscience chuckled at this. '_Yes, you delude yourself into believing you're nothing but "good friends". But Zim we can both agree that your feelings towards her are much deeper_' the voice continued. Zim realized what he was getting at. 'Wait, you think that I…with Gaz…? Are you on crack!' he asked. '_No. The only way I could ever be on crack is if you were on it. And considering you're not, I'm not._' 'Well…you're still wrong about Gaz and me.' '_How the hell could I be wrong about something like that? I'm a frigging part of you! I'm not some separate entity who just decided one day to help you out. I'm every bit a part of you as say your arm or your brain. So don't tell me that I'm wrong. Ever._'

Zim was taken aback by this, it did say it was his conscience right? So if this was true, the voice would be right. But did Zim really feel that way about Gaz? He had always thought of her as different from the other humans he saw on a regular basis. He always thought of her as intriguing, even before he had befriended her. But did he _love_ her? That was something even he wasn't sure of. The fact of the matter was, maybe he was. He had hung out with her a lot. But she always said he was her friend. And that brought up another good question. Even if he did love her, did she love him? He looked back over at Gaz who was still talking with Squee. She certainly was a lot nicer to look at than most human females who spent their time worshipping no talent celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. And who spent their time dressing like sluts and telling lies about other people. She did none of those things. As a matter of fact she said once that if she ever even _thought_ about doing those things, she'd kill herself. "Better to die as an original than live as a copy" she had said. Plus she was quite intelligent. She always got straight A's even though she never paid attention in class. She had amazing flexibility and strength even though she didn't look it. She also had amazing charisma, a sense of humor, and a quick wit. She also had the most beautiful amber eyes he had ever seen. And her hair looked so silky and soft. And she had a nice butt. After that last thought Zim sort of blanched. He thought she had a nice butt? And nice breasts too. 'What the hell?' he thought. '_Told you so._' The voice said in his head. 'Okay, okay. So I think she's hot. And I _might_ have a _small_ crush on her' he admitted. The voice laughed at this. '_A _small_ crush? That's like saying the Titanic was a _minor_ incident. Zim, it's time to face facts. You are in love with her. You can't keep denying it. This is life. This is how things work. Now I think you better snap back to reality before somebody wonders if something's wrong._' 'Wait!' Zim called out. '_What?_ _I'd like to get back to your sub-conscious. Mythbusters is starting in a couple of minutes and it's a new episode._' Zim wanted to ask his conscience how it could watch TV but decided to ask later. 'What am I supposed to do? How should I act?' His conscience sighed. '_Just be yourself. You should have seen plenty of anime and read plenty of fan fiction to know that._' 'Just be myself?' '_Just be yourself._ _Now get out of here, your friends think you're dead._'

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You think he's dead?" asked Dib poking Zim with a stick. Zim hadn't moved in the past ten minutes. And considering this was Zim that was enough to elicit worry. "Maybe he's taking a nap" suggested Tak. "Maybe his soul's been eaten by a hollow! OH NO! NOT MASTERS SOUL!" GIR freaked. "You idiots. It's probably nothing to worry about. Besides, I know how to wake him up" said Gaz. "OI, SHITHEAD! WAKE UP!" she yelled before punching him on the head. This unsurprisingly woke him up. "What the frick! Feels like a train, bus, and herd of hippos hit me at once!" Zim shouted in pain. "Good as new" Gaz said. 'Though I do have to admit he had me kinda worried' she thought. "Well if you guys are fine I'll be leaving. I gotta go set my shit up" Squee told them. "Okay. We'll be in the audience during your performance" Gaz said. "Likewise" said Squee before walking off.

Zim rubbed his sore head. Why did Gaz have to do that? She should have known he could snap out of a daze himself. Still he wanted to know how she felt about him. He was about to ask her when Dib cut in. "Guys look at all the people we know on this list." They all crowded around him and looked at the list. "Torque has a hardcore band called Blistered Fingers" said Dib. "Zita's in a riot grrl group called Dangerous and Sexy" said Gaz. Zims eyes bugged out. "Willy's got a band too!" Zim said. "It's called Willy and the Slobs." "That makes sense" said Gaz rolling her eyes. "I bet they sound like G.G. Allin" said Tak. They then looked around at the area. "So…what do we do?" asked Zim. "I mean we're the last frigging band on the list. We got lotsa time to kill." "I heard there was a Playstation tent around here somewhere" said Mimi. "They're also having a Guitar Hero contest." Gaz lit up at this. "A Guitar Hero contest eh? We gotta check this out."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

An hour later they were walking around the grounds again. Gaz had unsurprisingly won the contest and had received a $50 coupon for Electronics Boutique, a Guitar Hero t-shirt, and a neat trophy. "This is going to look great on my game trophy shelf" she said. Her game trophy shelf had gotten really full over the years. She was probably going to have to get a new one. "I still can't believe that you aced "Bark At The Moon" on Expert with your eyes closed!" said Tak. "And not even missing a single note or chord to boot!" added Dib. "Pffft. It's nothing. I could master that game in my sleep" she said like it was nothing. Wait to Gaz it was nothing. She had some sort of freaky gaming powers that made her the best gamer of all time. No one, and I mean no one, was better than her. The only other person who came close to matching her was Zim. GIR was her equal in a few games. But nowhere near as many as Zim. She remembered finding out just how good he was those four years ago during their little DOA 3 match. After that they played video games together a lot. They spent a lot of time together and were really close friends. At least that's what she kept telling herself and those around her. She kept getting this feeling that she and Zim had a relationship that went deeper. But she usually just ignored it. 'I mean c'mon' she thought. 'The kind of person I am? It's surprising he even decided to be _friends_ with me. Besides who would want to spend the rest of their life with me?'

The group was getting hungry so they decided to stop at one of the many overpriced food stations around the park specifically set up for such an event. Looking at the menu of the one they stopped at, there was an impressive variety of food and at the most reasonable price of any stand there. After waiting in line for a long time the group was able to get to the front and order. "I'll have a Philly steak and cheese, 2 orders of sweet potato fries, 3 regular fries, 3 cheeseburgers, one with bacon, one with the works, and one with chili, 2 hot dogs, and 5 Cokes" Gaz said to the dude working the cash register. "This all for you little lady?" he asked in an annoying southern accent that screamed "I'm a redneck!" Though that alone wouldn't make anyone think "redneck" when talking to him. No, it was the fact he was wearing a freaking t-shirt with a hunter dragging a dead deer with the slogan "Hunting's a drag" below it. But the straw that broke the camels back on the subject would be the goddamn Confederate flag trucker cap he was wearing. Gaz's eye twitched at seeing this. 'Figures that a damn redneck would be working the cash register' she thought. "That all comes to $32.54" he said. God that voice was annoying. It was worse than nails on a chalkboard or the scraping together of Styrofoam. She handed him the money and received the change. "Your order will be up in a minute. Have a nice day" he said with a grin showing his ugly mismatched teeth. 'Uggh! How can I have a nice day when I had to see those' she thought. After getting their food, they went and sat down at a nearby picnic table. They began eating their food hungrily, especially GIR, while talking about the upcoming event.

"So who bets that Willy gets kicked off stage for being disgusting?" asked Zim. "I do! I mean he's the epitome of gross" said Dib. "Well yeah! I mean he's only the most disgusting kid in school" said Tak. "Try, the world" said Gaz. "You've got a point there" Tak replied. They all laughed and were having a good time. That is until _she_ showed up. And I bet you know who I'm talking about. "Well isn't this an _unpleasant_ surprise. You losers decided to show up here." They all turned to face the most evil blonde bitch the world has ever known, Jessica. "Jessica! What the hell are you doing here?" growled Gaz at her nemesis. "I'm here because my boyfriend's band is in the contest" the preppy girl spat back. She was unsurprisingly wearing the mark of the preppy, a Hollister t-shirt. Luckily this time she wasn't flanked by her friends. She was alone. "So where are your cronies? Did they all have to wash their hair? Or maybe they just dropped dead from your ugly face" Gaz said. "They said they couldn't come you bitch!" "Oh I'm the bitch? Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Jessica was getting really angry now, which is something Gaz loves. Because when she's angry, she's miserable. And there is nothing more satisfactory than seeing your enemies miserable. "Well have you? Oh I'm sorry you can't. Every time you try the mirror breaks doesn't it?" the annoying preppy girl asked her. "And why are you always hanging out with that freak Zim? What are you two in love or something?" she asked. Both Gaz and Zim blushed at this. "No! We're not in love!" Gaz protested to the girl in front of her. "And how do you know we hang out a lot?" The blonde girl shook her head. "Let's just say I have my ways." She then began walking away.

"That was weird" said Dib. "Yeah usually Gaz sends her off screaming in rage or something" Tak agreed. "I wonder what she meant by 'I have my ways?'" Gaz said. GIR took this moment to speak. "Maybe she's got secret cameras hidden all over the city. No, no wait! She's an evil spy trying to gather info on you and then use it to kill you! No, wait! She's a mutant killing machine sent to destroy the city! NO WAIT!" but he didn't get to finish the sentence as Mimi clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shhh! GIR be quiet. This is serious" she told the hyperactive little robot. GIR then mumbled something into her hand. "What?" she asked pulling her hand away from his mouth. "You gots pretty eyes" he said and gave her a big smile. She blushed at this as expected. 'He thinks I have pretty eyes?' she thought. Gaz wasn't really worried though. "Pffft, whatever. It's probably just some empty threat." However she still felt something was wrong. Was Jessica following her? Trying to find out her weaknesses and use them to get back at her? 'No. No that's stupid' she thought. 'Jessica can't pull off something complicated like that.' She decided to just drop the whole damn subject. It was probably something that would never come to pass.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After the little incident with Jessica the group finished their eating and left the picnic table area. They were still surprisingly quiet after what happened. No one had really said anything after what had happened. It was one of those disturbingly awkward silences after something big. Where the people it happened to are quiet but everyone else is talking, laughing, and still going on with their lives. This was one of those times. The silence between the friends was becoming unbearable. "What the fuck is wrong with you guys?" Gaz said to them. "You think that the queen of all preppy whores is really going to go through with something like that?" she asked them annoyed. "Well you two do have a history of going at each others throats" Dib told her. "He's right Gaz. Never underestimate what humans are capable of" said Zim. "Tak, do you agree with what these two loons are babbling about?" Gaz asked the girl next to her. "Well Gaz, the truth is they do have a point. You should probably watch your back" she told Gaz. "Great. Now everyone thinks I'm going to get hunted down by Jessica." The dark teen was frustrated. "Guys no on would _dare_ do something to me. I'm…well…I'm me. Most people are afraid of _me_. Not the other way around" she tried to tell them. Zim tried to maybe knock some sense into her. "Gaz, out of all the people who know you who aren't friends or family, Jessica's the only one who is immune to your spooky powers." Hopefully that got through to her. And it seemed it did because she paused and seemed to think on that. Zim was right. Jessica never ran off screaming in _fear_. Only anger. It was amazing really. Most people were scared shitless by the teen girls threats. Jessica never seemed to be affected at all by Gaz's threats. Except that she would get angry and threaten her back with how her father was wealthy as fuck and could sue her family. However Gaz's father was wealthy too and was an internationally renowned scientist to boot. "Well whatever she has in store I'll be ready" she said.

On the other side of the park grounds Squee's band was preparing. Pepito was busy tuning his guitar when Squee returned. He was wearing an AFI t-shirt, jeans, and Von Zipper shoes. Squee took a seat next to Pepito. "So did you tell her yet?" the pluck Antichrist asked him. "Tell her what?" he asked. Pepito groaned. "That you like her numb nuts." Squee looked at his shoes. "No I haven't" he told Pepito. He then smacked Squee up alongside his head. "Oww! What the hell?" he said. "You gotta tell her soon man. If you don't then some other lucky bastard will snatch her up." The demon boy was right. He had to tell Gaz how he felt. "Hey Squee!" came another voice behind him. He turned around to see Nicky the bassist in the band behind him. She was the only member of the band who wasn't a guy and didn't mind. She had black and purple dyed hair, emerald green eyes, and was wearing a Neurotically Yours t-shirt with Foamy the Squirrel on it holding a French fry. Below it, it read: "Someone should stab you in the eye, with a really hot French fry." She was very cute too and had a major crush on Squee. She felt that she and Squee were the same since they both were neglected by their parents. Unfortunately she knew he had a crush on Gaz. "Hey Squee?" she asked him. "Yeah?" "I was over at the picnic table area and hear something weird." Squee looked at her curiously. "What was it?" he asked. "I saw Gaz talking to some girl. What was weird was that the _girl_ threatened Gaz. Not the other way around." Squee too thought this was odd. "What did the girl say?" he asked. "Something like watch your back. And then as she was walking by me I heard her say something about vengeance and stuff" Nicky told him. Squee sat back in his chair. 'I wonder what she's gotten herself into this time.' He thought.

AN: Yeah! New chappie! I decided to do put a little ZAGR stuff in, and some more GAMR stuff. I've also decided to have a love triangle between Zim, Gaz, and Squee. Don't worry. This is still a ZAGR fic. Anyway I hope you enjoy this one. It should more than make up for the crappiness of the last chapter.


	7. Viva La Revolution

How To Totally Rock!

AN: I'm really getting into this. I'm thinking I might have this thing run for 20-30 chapters. I'm not sure. I might go for 25. I might also begin writing a Teen Titans fan fic for those who're interested. I've also got an idea for a Naruto one, a Power Puff Girls one set in Bleedman's PPG Doujinshi universe, maybe a Fullmetal Alchemist one, and some others I'll think about later. Also, I'd like to thank personally the reviewers of the story: xZAGRFAN, Zantor7, xMisery, Yellowfur, Invader Zira, Invader Sideos, Invader Chelsea, monkey-chan, and GostBoyd. Your reviews are what fuel my passion for continuing to write this abomination, which just _barely_ passes as a story. I swear, I never thought anybody would actually like my stuff. And I'm thinking about doing a oneshot after this is done made out to look like a mock interview with The Invaders. Any dang way, I'll shut up and get on with the story.

Disclaimer: Shit. Haven't written one of these in awhile. Um…me no own Zim. Or anything else I might mention in this story. Except the lyrics I say are mine (you'll know which they are).

Punk references from last chapter:

Chapter name: System of a Down song name

Riot Grrl: Basically punk bands that are made up of all girls.

Willy's Idol: GG Allin. If you really want to learn more about him, go to Wikipedia. Just be warned, he was pretty fucked up.

Chapter 7: Viva La Revolution

For those of you who are just tuning in, STUFF is happening. The gang was walking around checking out the various stands at the park. Not really much happening at all, well nothing special at least. They checked some t-shirts out first. They found some cool ones too. Gaz found a Black Flag one with the "Police Story" single cover on it, Zim seemed interested in a Adicts t-shirt, Dib was checking out a Nirvana t-shirt, and Tak was interested in a Metallica t-shirt with the "…And Justice For All" cover art on it. They all decided to buy the shirts they found. Mimi and GIR were the only ones who didn't want a shirt. Instead Zim gave them money to go get some cotton candy to share. However they were about to experience something big, something that would change the course of the night for everyone.

"I just love The Scary Monkey Show! It's probably one of the best shows ever." GIR was talking to Mimi about fave TV shows and was of course mentioning The Scary Monkey Show. "I love that monkey" GIR said. "OOOO! You know what other show I like? I like Spongebob." GIR then began running around yelling, "I'm ready" over and over again. Mimi began laughing at the crazy robot. He kept running around till he ran into somebody. "Hey watch where you're going." GIR looked up at the person in front of him. He was tall and was wearing a Starting Line t-shirt. Next to him was…was…was…boy I bet you'll kill me if I say, "was" again. Anyway, next to him was Jessica. "Be careful you idiot. You could hurt somebody" she said to GIR. "Sorry" the little robot apologized. "Hey wait a minute. You're that freak Zims little brother right?" GIR looked up at the girl in front of him. "You mean master? No, I'm his rob…" but Mimi clapped a hand over his mouth. "Of course he's his younger brother. What else would he be? A robot servant to Zim?" She slapped herself mentally for that one. 'Nice way to screw things up' she thought to herself. "Well keep him on a leash" the preppy freak told Mimi. 'She actually didn't notice anything? Man she really is a dumb blond like Gaz said isn't she?' Mimi thought to herself. "C'mon baby. Let's get away from these losers" her boyfriend said. As they walked away Jessica turned around, "Tell Gaz to watch her back. Because this time I'll get my revenge." After saying this she turned back around and walked off with her boyfriend. "OOOOO! She's uuuugly!" GIR said. However Mimi didn't giggle. In fact it didn't even seem like Mimi heard what GIR said. She was stunned. Of all the times she's seen Jessica, she'd never seen her with the kind of look she had when she turned to speak to her. It was the kind of stare only before thought capable by Gaz. It was a look of pure malice, anger, and hatred. 'Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it' Mimi thought to herself. "Mimi? Yous in there?" GIR asked while tapping on her head. Mimi realized she zoned out on him. "Yeah GIR. Uuummm, let's get that cotton candy" she said to him. "YEEEEAAAHH!" GIR screamed. 'I'll need to tell the others about this' she thought to herself.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I personally think Courtney Love killed him." Meanwhile, the group was having a heated discussion on the death of Kurt Cobain. Dib had already expressed his opinion on the subject. He believed that Kurt's wife Courtney love did him in. Zim had to argue with his friend. "No way Dib. Kurt committed suicide. He had a long, and I mean _long_, history of both drug abuse and depression. His success meant that people he hated were listening to his music. That combined with the pressure of fame and drug use brought him to his unfortunate end." "But Zim, evidence points to his wife murdering him. There were bloody handprints at his suicide site, there's the fact that his wife became more famous afterwards, and many other reasons." Gaz though had taken Zim's side on the subject even before she knew who Zim was. "Dib ever since I introduced you to Nirvana you seem to think that Kurt was murdered. Can't you just get over the fact that he killed himself?" Dib was going to make a comeback but at that moment Mimi and GIR returned.

GIR had cotton candy smeared all over his face and disguise, and Mimi seemed worried. "Guys! I have to tell you something" she said in an exhausted voice. "What is it Mimi?" Tak asked. "GIR and I saw Jessica again" she told the others. "Okay, and?" Tak asked. Mimi turned to Gaz, "She said to watch your back because this time she meant business. Said something about how she'd finally get her revenge or something. But the clincher was the look she gave us." "What did it look like?" Gaz asked. "The scary thing is, it looked like something you'd give someone" Mimi said to Gaz. Gaz chuckled at this. "She probably is just making empty threats again" she told Mimi. "No, not this time. I can usually tell when someone is just saying something and when they, mean it. She seemed serious." "Gaz I think Mimi might be telling the truth" Dib said to his sister. "I mean she seems serious about this." Gaz wasn't phased though. "You got any proof?" she asked. "As a matter of fact I do. My ocular sensors can project any scene I view as a hologram." Gaz was impressed by this, "Well let's see this look then" she said to Mimi. Mimi then went through the most recently viewed images till she found the one she was looking for.

"Here it is" she said and replayed the whole scene for the others. The whole thing was played for them, the threat, the look everything. "Oh my God" Dib said. "That's fucking scary" Zim said. "You can say that again" Tak said. "Gaz I think your brother may be right for once" Zim said. "Yeah I…Hey! What do you mean for once?" Dib asked his alien friend. "Nothing except that you always think that you're right and then it turns out wrong." "Not all the time Zim!" "Name one time you thought you were right and were." The large headed teen thought about it. "There was that one time you know with the…thing…about that one thing. Okay I got nothing" he admitted. "Guys this is nothing. I mean c'mon that was just a cheap copy of one of my death glares" Gaz assured them. However she was thinking something different. 'Those eyes, those are the eyes of someone who is dead serious. What really is getting to me though is the fact that I don't even know if she's truly serious or is just trying to get in under my skin.' She wished she knew. She hated not knowing things. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, which for all she knew she wasn't.

"Gaz are you okay?" Zim asked. She snapped out of her thoughts and blushed. 'Dammit! Why do I have to do that?' she said mentally. "Yeah I'm okay Zim." "Hey guys! Willy's band is first. Let's go see how he is" Dib said to them. "This should be interesting" Tak said. "Oh definitely" Zim agreed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As the gang crowded into the large crowd of people, the stage was already set up and the band was already on stage. Willy hadn't changed much and was wearing a GG Allin t-shirt. He stilled looked like he only bathed once every year and only changed his underwear every month. Dexter was on stage and walked up to the microphone. "Hello everyone and welcome to the first annual Battle of the Bands sponsored by The Pit, supporters of underground music. Because remember, if it's on most radio stations it's probably gonna suck." Everyone began cheering at this. "Now put your hands together for the first band, Willy and the Slobs." After making this announcement Dexter got off the stage and Willy got up to the mike. "This song is by a personal hero of mine" he said. "His name was GG Allin and this is his song 'Bite it You Scum.'"

Well you want me to kiss your ass  
Well bend over, buddy, here comes my foot  
I don't need your cry ass shit  
Temper's rising, take a fit

Bite it you scum  
Bite it you scum  
Bite it you scum - Here I come  
Bite it you scum

Well you want me to contribute  
All I got is blood for you  
All you want is more and more  
Gluttony, you pig you whore

Bite it you scum - Here I come  
Bite it you scum - I want your cum  
Bite it you scum - Um, yum  
Bite it you scum

One day when your end is near  
I'll be laughing at your fear  
When you're gone there'll be no one  
Who'll be fucking up my fun - No one

Bite it you scum  
Bite it you scum - Here I come  
Bite it you scum - I'm never gonna run  
Bite it you scum

Bite it you scum  
Bite it you scum  
Bite it you scum - Here I come  
Bite it you scum  
Bite it you scum  
Bite it, bite it, bite it, bite it  
Bite it, bite it, bite it, bite it  
Bite it, bite it, bite it you fucking scum  
Bite it you scum fucking sucking whore

Shortly after the song was completed Willy began hitting himself in the forehead with his microphone. He did it so hard he began to draw blood. Afterwards his band continued playing songs. However much like GG Allin he and his band were pulled off the stage for his disgusting antics after only completing half of their set. Everyone was told that the next band would play in 45 minutes. The people then left the area where the bands played. "Well that certainly was interesting" Zim said. "I can't believe he even made it through the first song" said Mimi. "I knew he was disgusting yeah, but that was something completely unexpected" Dib said. "Yeah you should know considering you helped him beat Zim in the election for school president 4 years ago" Gaz said. "Wait, YOU helped him become school president Dib?" Tak asked him. "Well yeah. It was only to keep Zim from winning though" Dib replied. He then quickly turned to his friend, "No offense Zim." "None taken Dib. In fact considering that they brainwashed Willy until we graduated from middle school I'm glad I lost now." "So where to next?" asked Zim. Tak looked at her watch. "The next band doesn't begin for 45 minutes. Let's just continue to fuck around for a little while." "Sounds good to me" said Dib.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They then spent the next couple of hours messing around the park grounds and watching the bands. They didn't vote for any of them since band members weren't allowed to vote for other bands in case they vote for themselves. They saw Zita's band, which was good. They did a great cover of "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. Torque's band "Blistered Fingers" kicked ass too. Torque had the kind of angry kick you in the face voice perfect for hardcore punk. He sounded like a cross between Ian McKaye from Minor Threat and Lou Koller from Sick Of It All. The next band to play was Jessica's boyfriends, who they found out was named Jeff, band. It was called The Happy Hills Rejects. A name that while sounded punk on the outside most likely wasn't. The group only went to see them just to heckle and irritate them. As everyone crowded around the stage the band was setting up on it. "Oh man these guys are gonna blow" Gaz said. "You can say that again" said Tak. Jeff walked up to the microphone set up on stage. "Hello everyone. What you are about to see is quite possibly the greatest band ever." That announcement made everyone but Zim, Gaz, Tak, Dib, GIR, and Mimi laugh. Everyone else laughed because they thought he was being funny. The others knew that the prick on stage was serious and really believed his band was the best band ever. "This is a song I wrote from the bottom of my heart" he said. He then began to play what was quite possibly the biggest abomination the punk world has ever seen since Good Charlotte first appeared. After the song was finished everybody stood there silent. 'They're probably too stunned to say anything' the pompous asshole on stage thought.

Just then a barfing noise could be heard from where our heroes were standing. "Oh my God. That was so horrible it made me puke" came Gaz's voice. People began to laugh at this. "It was so bad, it makes listening to nails on a chalkboard more enjoyable" came Zim's voice. More laughter. "They sound like dookie!" came GIR's voice. Now everyone was laughing. 'Who cares about what they say? There are probably other people who like us.' "Well here's another song" he told the crowd. "Oh boy! Does it suck as much cock as the first one?" Dib this time asked. People laughed at this some more. "You guys suck more balls than Paris Hilton!" yelled Tak. People were laughing at the shitty band on stage and booing them off. "Fine! Who needs you losers anyway!" Jeff shouted at the crowd. But everybody was too busy laughing to notice. The group left the laughing crowd. "Dude! That was so fucking wrong!" Gaz breathed out in between laughs. "I know. But it was worth it" Dib said. "They made my ears cry!" GIR said even though he didn't have any ears. "They really were terrible" Mimi agreed. "Once again we pissed off preppy fags" Zim said. "So who's left on the schedule?" Tak asked. Dib pulled his out. "Squee's band and then us" he said to them. "Well let's go check them out" said Zim. "It doesn't begin in another 55 minutes. We've got almost an hour man" Dib said to Zim. "Oh yes I knew that. I was just testing you to see if you remembered" Zim said.

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Later they returned to the same area and saw that even more people were there to see the next band. The group was on stage and seemed totally calm. Squee and Pepito walked up to their respective mics. "Hey Pepito?" Squee said to his demonic friend. "What Squee?" asked Pepito. "I think these people came here to here some music tonight don't you agree?" he asked Pepito. "I agree" the other teen said. "Too bad they're gonna be destroyed" Squee said into the mic ominously. "This song is one I wrote as a dedication to George A. Romero. It's called 'March of the Dead'" Squee bellowed into the mic.

The dead are rising

They march in the streets

Looking and searching for fresh, lively meat

They bite and scratch to tear flesh from bone

Man it would suck to die alone

(chorus)

It's the march of the dead

They're rising up so shoot 'em in the head

Zombies, undead, call 'em what you want

They still will want to eat you for lunch

You try to run

You try to hide

But they still find a way to get inside

It don't matter if it's made of steel or wood

It sure as hell won't do any good

They always find a way to get through

AAAAAHHHHH!

You hear that?

It's the screams of the unfortunate

Oh my God, why do we have to go through this?

Are humanities sins so goddamn great?

That the dead are flooding out of Hells gates

(chorus x2)

We need refuge, let's hide in the mall

There shouldn't be anybody there at all

We can barricade all the doors

We got supplies and we got guns

Let's just stay here

Until we have to run

I hear a farmhouse is pretty safe

Unfortunately there's nowhere to escape

We'll wait this out it'll be over soon

The dead are marching underneath the moon

(chorus x2)

Pepito then launched into one of the most incredible guitar solos ever quickly followed by an incredible bass solo from Nicky. Then a brief pause in the song followed. Followed by Squee screaming into his mic.

AAAAAHHHHH! (cracking noise)

Oh holy shit! What the hell was that?

The barricades go down with a sickening crack

The zombies marching

We have to run

Let me tell you this ain't any fun

Oh Jesus no! I've just gotten bit

OW! Man this hurts like shit

I point the gun right to my head

I pull the trigger

Don't wanna join the living dead

(chorus x4)

Squee and Pepito then began going back and forth in one of the sickest dueling guitar solos ever.

(chorus)

Shortly after the song was over the crowd went completely nuts. "Hell yeah! Was that awesome or what?" Squee asked the crowd. "Yeah!" the crowd screamed back. For the next 25 minutes the band continued playing amazing music. After their set was finished the band began walking off the stage "Stay awesome" were Squee's parting words. "C'mon I want to go tell Squee how awesome he was." Gaz said to the others. As they squeezed out of the crowd, they went backstage to see Squee. Gaz spotted him and called out to him. "Hey Gaz! What did you think of the show?" asked Squee. "It kicked ass!" was her reply. "Thanks. Hey I'd like to introduce you to the rest of the band." He then led her over to the others. "Hey guys this is Gaz. The girl I've been talking about" Squee said to others. "Hey" they said to her. Squee then turned back to her, "Now let me introduce you to the others. You know Pepito, over there's are bassist Nicky, and that's Chuck our drummer." Each of them waved back to her. 'I wonder if that's Squee's girlfriend over there' Gaz thought to herself about Nicky. "Well we got to go set up ourselves" said Gaz to her friend. "Okay. I'll be watching your band too" said Squee. "Okay" said Gaz. When she got back to the others Zim immediately hounded her with questions. "So what was that about huh? What did he want? I bet he asked you to join his band. Or maybe he asked you out. Well did he? Did he?" Zim asked Gaz. "Whoa Zim calm down. I was only talking to him about his performance and he introduced me to the rest of his band" the girl replied to the alien. "Besides, why do you care?" she asked him. "I don't I was just curious that's all" he said to her. "Right, well we need to get our equipment out. We're next." "Right" Zim said. He then produced his infinite matter storage device and the gang had their equipment out and on a dolly in mere seconds. "I hope this goes well" Dib said as the group and their equipment were helped onstage by the stage hands.

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The group was currently onstage, and were busy finishing their set up. Gaz was busy tuning her guitar and Tak was installing some keyboard modules. Dib, Gaz, and Zim had purchased new instruments for this event. Gaz was currently wielding an Ibanez RG1570 with whammy bar. Dib had a Gibson ES-330, which would be perfect for the acoustic guitar parts of some of the songs considering it was a hollow body guitar. Zim had purchased a Rickenbacker 4003 bass guitar. "So we all know what to do?" asked Zim. "Yep. I guess so. Uh huh. I play drums!" were his answers. "Okay then guys let's melt their faces off" said Gaz as they went out to the mics. Zim stepped up to his and spoke into it. "Hello everyone. We are The Invaders, and we're here to kick ass." The crowd cheered at Zim's words. "This is a song we wrote about the limitations of the school system. It's called "Schools Like Prison…But With Less Ass Rape" and it goes like this.

They then opened with a humorous little song set to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" with Dib playing his guitar with his amp off producing an acoustic guitar sound.

Mine eyes have seen the glory

Of the burning of the school

We have tortured every teacher

We have broken every rule

We have sat in every corner

Of the whole damn school

As truth is marching on

Glory, glory, Hallelujah

Teacher hit me with a ruler

I met her at the door

With a loaded 44

As truth is marching on

They then began playing the actual song after the opening one.

My parents and the government say

"An education is great"

I watch as my family waves good bye

As I'm marched right through the gate

Then they turn around and lock the door

I'm going to be bored forever more

Because schools like a prison…but with less ass rape

There was a brief pause in the song and GIR began drumming really quick allowing Dib the chance to turn his amp on.

LET'S GO!

They put you into a crowded cell

With a bunch of people

Who're noisy and who smell

You have no chance for parole

You're forced to see the half not the whole

They make you have to conform

Just to fit in with societies norm

But I say, "Screw that shit"

(chorus)

Schools like prison…

But with less ass rape

They surround you with jocks and preps

Wannabe gangstas and posers

Ah hell, that's just great

I don't even know if I'll survive till the end of the day

Gonna burn this mother fucker down before it's too late

Jeez louise this place sucks

The teachers are annoying fucks

Most of the students grate on my nerves

I hate them, that's just swell

I hope they burn in hell

If you're a punk, a goth, or a nerd

Metalhead, ska kid, hipster, it's absurd

They treat you like crap just cause you're different

(chorus x3)

You're beaten if you're deemed "uncool"

You're hunted down if you skip school

Don't even get me started on if you're gay or bi

Hall monitors will kick your ass

Just cause you forgot your hall pass

It's enough to make you heave a depressed sigh

Oh now let me tell you about the teachers

They force shit on you till you're bored to tears

And they prey upon your deepest darkest fears

We waste six hours of our day

And when we think we've got away

They shove homework down your goddamn throat

The food here makes me wanna vomit

I think the potpie crust is made with Comet

The lunch ladies are Satanists

Man that explains why the food makes me pissed

Cause they get it from the Prince of Lies

The fries are bad enough to make you cry

(chorus x3)

Gaz then played a break neck guitar solo before the song quieted down and Dib turned his amp off again so he could play it acoustically. All the other instruments stopped allowing Zim to sing with just the guitar as ambience.

We've had enough of learning stuff

That we already know

We're sick of all the jocks, the preps,

And girls dressed like hoes

We have the right to learn what we want

To get through this world of strife

The guitar stopped and everything was quiet for a little while. Then Zim went back up to the microphone and continued.

And if you don't agree with us

Then get a fucking life!

The instruments all started back up again and they continued playing.

(chorus x4)

We have a right, to learn what we like

After the song the crowd was silent. Then out of nowhere the crowd went nucking futs. It was like a riot. The band continued playing their songs and the biggest mosh pit of the night started during their performance. After their show they left the stage and Dexter got up with an envelope in his hand. "Nice performance guys. Now to announce the winner." He then opened the envelope and read the results. "Well it's unanimous. The winner, or should I say winners, are…The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses and The Invaders!" The crowd cheered at this and the group was obviously cheering itself. "They win a free show each at The Pit. Each one will be a month a part. TBTBA's will be on July 25th and The Invaders will be on August 25th. And remember keep on rocking!" And with that it was over. As the group collected their stuff and had it put back into the infinite matter storage device, Zim was pumping his fists in the air. "Damn we were awesome! We should do something to celebrate" he said to them as they walked through the parking lot towards Dib's car. "Let's go to Cold Stone's." suggested Tak. "That sounds kick ass." Gaz said. Just then though a car stopped in front of them. Jessica was in the passenger seat, which had its window facing the group. She stuck her head out. "Hey Gaz? You know how I said I'd get my revenge?" she said to her enemy. "Well here it is." The next thing everyone knew a gun shot rang out and Jessica drove out of their like a bat out of hell. Gaz looked down at her shirt. A red splotch could be seen and it was growing. "Oh fuck" was all she could get out before she collapsed on the spot in her own blood. The last thing she heard were her friends screaming as everything faded to black.

AN: Cliffhanger time! Gaz has been shot. Oh noes! But don't worry I'm not gonna kill her off. Hope you like. And if you couldn't tell Zim was the one singing the song. I'd also like to request that if any of my readers have Deviant Art accounts if they could draw a pic of The Invaders. That would be awesome. Anyway read and review cause I'm sick and would like some reviews to make me feel better.


	8. Image Of The Invisible

How To Totally Rock!

AN: Wow! I got a lot of feedback on the last chapter. I had no idea how to end the previous chapter at first. I didn't come up with the ending till, well…the end. I wanted to do something epic and cool you know? The kind of ending which makes you crave the next chapter like a dog does a juicy steak. So I decided to take the dramatic route and have Gaz get shot. I know a lot of stories both in fan fiction and books do that a lot but dammit it sure does add suspense don't it? Anyway I think I'll shut up now and let you guys read the story.

Disclaimer: Why must I always make myself sad by writing these? Everybody should know I don't own any shit in this story except some of the songs (like the two in the last chapter).

Punk References From Last Chapter:

Chapter Name: The Adicts song name

Chapter 8: Image Of The Invisible

"Oh my fucking God!" yelled Dib. He ran over and turned his sisters limp body over. "Gaz? Gaz, wake up. For fucks sake wake up!" Tak was shocked at what had happened. "We need to call 911 we need help" she said. Zim who was slowly taking everything around him in realized that an ambulance wouldn't be able to reach their location before Gaz died from blood loss. "There's no time. The hospital is too far away, by the time they get here Gaz would either already be dead or would die in the ambulance." Dib looked up at his alien friend with tears in his eyes. "Then what are we supposed to do? Just let her die?" he asked between sobs. "No of course not. I can call the Voot cruiser in within a few seconds and take her back to my base and operate on her their. I have more advanced equipment and more experience than any human in this city, or even world, does." Zim told the grieving sibling. "Do it then. Tak, GIR, Mimi, and I will be there in a minute" Dib told him. Zim slid his glove down to reveal a small wristwatch like device. He pressed a button on it and a beeping noise could be heard.

On the other side of town at Zim's base, a light in the Voot cruiser began flashing and a similar beeping noise could be heard. The Voot cruiser immediately flew out of the hangar and towards Zim's location at light speed. It arrived within the space of a second. He carefully lifted Gaz making sure not to make her wound any worse. After getting her situated in the cruiser he climbed in to the pilots seat. "Don't worry Dib. I'll save Gaz" he said as the windshield went down and the ship took off back to his base. GIR looked up at Tak with a concerned look on his face. "Tak? What's going on?" he asked her. She looked down at him with tears in her eyes. She knelt down to him and put her hand on his tiny little robot shoulder. "Gaz is hurt GIR" she told him sadly. "Gazzy's hurt? Why?" "A mean person hurt her GIR. She was shot." GIR may have been defective, spazzy, and pretty stupid at times but he knew what being shot meant. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked worry apparent in his voice. "I hope so, I really hope so." Tak said softly.

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Back at Zim's base Zim had landed his Voot cruiser back in the hangar. He immediately threw the windshield up and picked up Gaz tenderly. He slowly got out of the cruiser and carried her to the medical bay. "Computer!" Zim yelled out. "What is it?" his computer asked in a bored tone of voice. "I need several pints of human blood from the medical freezer and some anesthetic. NOW!" he ordered. "Whatever" the computer said. "This is serious computer. If I don't get those then Gaz might not make it." Zim said as he pulled out a surgeon's gown, sterilized rubber gloves, a syringe, and a surgeon's mask and cap. He quickly put the gown, mask, cap, and gloves on making sure not to waste any precious time. As he finished getting his outfit on, a service drone brought in the anesthesia while another one brought in the blood needed for a transfusion. "Zim, you do know what you're doing right?" his computer asked. "I mean you've never performed surgery on a human before." Zim looked up as he fastened some goggles to his face. "I've studied enough on human anatomy and biology over the years to know what to do and what not to do. Now please computer unless you're going to help me I suggest you be quiet" he said to the base's computer. "Yes master" it said before going silent.

Zim immediately went to work. First thing he would have to do though was to…well remove Gaz's shirt. He gulped at this thought. 'Focus man focus! Her life's on the line here!' he though as he reached down and began undoing the buttons on her shirt. When he finished the last button on her shirt he carefully pulled it open to avoid making the wound worse. After opening her shirt he could make out were the wound was. Fortunately it didn't hit any extremely vital organs. It appeared to have pierced her left lung though and quick work would have to be done to remove the bullet, repair her lung and seal up the wound. He leaned over to begin work on removing the bullet but his eyes began shifting up to her exposed bra and breasts. He reprimanded himself for doing that when Gaz needed his help and immediately began his work.

He first applied the anesthetic so she wouldn't be as sore when she woke up. He then began probing in the wound till he found the bullet. He removed it immediately with tweezers and laid it down on the tray next to him. After doing this he then pulled out a special Irken medical instrument, which Skoodge had given him in case of an emergency. It would repair damaged organs and it was _exactly_ what Zim needed at the moment. He pulled it out and began work on repairing her damaged lung. It was difficult and required _extreme_ precision to work properly. He didn't finish until an hour later. It apparently sent nano bots into the person's body and they had to be controlled by the operator of the machine to have them work. After finishing that up come the easy parts. First he used a special laser to reform skin over the wound, then when he was finished he hooked up the transfusion machine to her body. He placed all the blood inside it and hooked it up to Gaz. He flipped the switch and it began pumping blood into her body. Her vitals began to return to normal and he breathed a sigh of relief. It had been almost two and a half hours since he began.

'_Nice job kid, you make a pretty damn good surgeon._' It was that voice again. 'What is it now?' he asked it. '_Aaaahhh, I'm hurt. Do you really have to be that way to me?_' it asked. 'Well considering I still am not used to having a conscience and all it's kinda surprising when you just pop up all of a sudden.' His conscience sighed annoyed. '_Zim consciences do that. They just pop up to offer advice. Didn't you ever see Pinnochio?_' it asked him. 'Uh, you mean that gay kiddie Disney movie? No. I would rather eat my own squeedly spooch than see that movie' he told his conscience. '_Oh well I haven't either or_ _anything I was just asking_' it said hurriedly to cover up the fact that it had. 'So why are you here?' Zim asked. '_I'm here to give you some advice on Gaz._' The voice said. 'Okay what about her?' Zim asked. '_Well you saved her life numb nuts. Don't you think that now would be a good time to tell her how you feel?_' 'You do have a point there. I mean she'd have to listen to what I have to say.' '_Good. Now I gotta go. You're friends have been wondering the base for awhile and have now found the medical bay and are going to be bursting in right…now!_'

"Zim!" came Dib's worried voice. "Is she okay? Were you able to save her?" he asked. "Yes Dib she's okay. But she'll need to rest. Her body needs to rest up a little, it's been through a lot" he told the worried sibling. "You're welcome to spend the night if you want to" he offered to the group. "Are you sure Zim? I mean do you have any extra rooms that are meant for people to sleep in?" Dib asked. "No, but I can have computer make some. Computer!" "What?" the annoyed voice of the computer asked. "Make some extra rooms for our guests to sleep in" he ordered. "Do I have to?" the irate computer asked. "Yes, or I'll have to subject you to the horrors of reality TV" Zim threatened. "Oh please no! I'll get right to it Zim" the computer agreed not wanting to have to go through the horror of watching shows like Survivor and Fear Factor again. He turned back to his friends. "Your rooms should be ready shortly. The service drones will show you to them when they're ready. Now I must clean up so please see yourselves out and good night." Zim said to them. They left the room and when he was sure they were out of earshot he turned to Gaz. He walked over to her and looked down at her sleeping form. She truly was beautiful. He rubbed his hand over smooth cheek. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Gaz" he said before ordering computer to put a bed in the medical bay for him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was unusually dark and quiet. There were no noises, no sights, nothing but blackness. It was a void pure and simple like the blackest, deepest cave in the world. She couldn't tell if she was floating or grounded, asleep or awake, standing or sitting, living or dead. Dead. That word struck her through the heart like an arrow. No, worse than an arrow, a _bullet_. She clutched her chest as a sharp pain shot through it. She closed her eyes tightly as the pain increased. Then just as suddenly as it started it stopped. She opened her eyes to find that she wasn't in darkness anymore. Instead she was at her school cafeteria. She looked down at her hands and looked around. 'Everything seems so peaceful' she thought. However she shrugged her shoulders at this. "Hey Gaz!" a voice called. She turned to see her friends and brother at a table. She went and sat down with them. They began talking about various things for what seemed like hours.

Everything seemed perfect. Then the cafeteria doors were thrown open and Jessica walked in. "Hello Gaz" she said when she spotted her adversary. "What do you want Jessica?" she asked the girl. "What I want is for you and your friends to die!" she screamed and produced a gun and shot Tak in the chest. The girl slumped over in her chair as people began to scream. "Gaz run! She's gone ballistic!" Dib yelled. Shortly after he yelled this though he had a large hole appear in his head with blood, brains, and skull fragments splattered all over the adjacent wall. "Dib!" she yelled as her brothers lifeless body collapsed to the floor. Jessica turned to Gaz. "Burn in hell!" she screamed as she pulled the trigger. Purple blood spattered all over her face as the bullet was taken by Zim. "Run Gaz" he said as he collapsed to the floor. "NO!" she screamed as she ran over to Zim's body. "Zim don't die. Please don't" she begged him as she held his dying body. Zim looked up at her with a smile on his face. "I love you Gaz" he told her before closing his eyes forever. "I love you to Zim" she told him as he died in her arms. Tears cascaded down her face as Jessica approached Gaz and raised the gun to her head. "Now die" she said. But before the gun could be fired Gaz leapt at her and tore the gun from her. "YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND, MY BROTHER, AND THE ONLY PERSON I EVER LOVED! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S GONNA DIE!" She then filled Jessica with holes using up most of the clip. Afterwards the whole cafeteria was silent. She looked up to see it devoid of people except for the corpses and herself. She looked around at the bodies and then at the gun. 'I don't want to be alone. I want to be with them' she thought. She then pointed the gun to her head and pulled the trigger. But there was no bang. She looked at the cartridge. It was empty. "No, God fucking dammit no!" she screamed. She looked up at the skies above and screamed. "Why must I always be alone?" she cried out. "Don't worry Gaz, you're not alone" familiar voices said to her. She turned around in delight at first but then recoiled in horror as she saw the corpses of her friends come back as rotting zombies. "We'll be with you forever and ever" they said mockingly as they converged on her and began to rip her apart.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"NOOOOOOOO!" Gaz screamed as she sat up suddenly sat up in her bed. At least she thought it was her bed. It took her awhile but she realized she wasn't in her room. In fact she wasn't even in her house. It dawned on her that she was in fact in Zim's labs. In fact Zim was right next to her when she came to this realization. He had his bed set up right next to hers in case something happened. "Gaz what's wrong?" he asked her, worry apparent in his voice. "Zim? Why am I here? What happened?" she asked. Suddenly memories began flooding back to her all at once. She remembered clearly now. How they had tied in the contest with Squee, how they were walking back to the car deciding on how to celebrate, and how Jessica shot…her. She hurriedly looked down at her chest. No red splotch at all. In fact she was in a plain white t-shirt. It was a little big for her but it served its purpose. "What happened after the incident Zim?" she asked him looking up into his eyes. Zim drew a deep breath and decided to explain everything to her. "Shortly after you got shot and collapsed Gaz, everyone began panicking. Dib especially was freaking out. Tak suggested someone call 911, but I told her it would be a waste of time due to the fact we were so far from the hospital. We all decided on me taking you back to my base in the Voot cruiser and I would perform surgery on you myself. I didn't take you to the hospital because I have superior technology and more experience than any human surgeon. That's basically what happened."

Gaz looked down for a minute before looking back up at Zim. "So wait a minute. _You_ saved me?" she asked. "Well yes, but I don't possibly see what that has to do with…" he didn't get to finish his sentence due to Gaz wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you Zim, for saving me" she said to him. Zim blushed deeply at this. He also realized that he could see down her shirt and blushed even deeper. 'Oh my God. If I had a nose it'd be bleeding right now' he thought. "Um, yes well it was nothing." Zim told her. "Oh c'mon where's that 'I am the great almighty Zim' attitude you usually have at times like this?" Gaz asked him. Zim didn't want to tell her that the reason why was because he didn't want to irritate her. He did it so much she probably hated it when he did. 'In fact she probably hated it whenever I did it in the past' he thought. "I'm just tired is all" he told her. "That's to bad. I like it when you do it" she said. 'Whoa! Wait, did she say she liked it? Guess I was wrong about her hating it then' he thought. "Well I'm gonna go back to bed now" he told her. However memories of her nightmare came back to her and she grabbed his hand. "Please don't leave me alone" she begged him. "I'm not going to leave you" he promised her. She was still afraid from her dream. "Zim. Do you think that I could sleep in the same bed as you?" she asked. Zim went red in the face at this question causing Gaz to realize that she worded it wrong. "I didn't mean like that! I just…" she paused. "I just don't want to be alone." Zim was contemplated this. "Okay Gaz you can sleep with me" he said to her. "Thank you" she said to him. He climbed into the bed first and turned over. 'Hopefully she'll just fall asleep and nothing will happen to make her think differently of me' he thought. He felt her climb into bed with him and he closed his eyes…which quickly shot back open when Gaz wrapped her arms around him. He turned over and looked at her. "Uh, what are you doing?" he asked her. "I just wanna make sure you don't go anywhere" she said with a grin on her face. 'At least it's made her happy' he thought. "Zim?" she said. "What Gaz?" Zim replied. "Thank you" she told him before falling asleep. "You're welcome Gaz" he said before going back to sleep himself.

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The next morning Zim woke up like everything was normal, until he felt somebody else in the bed with him. He looked over at the body next to him and jumped out of bed in surprise. 'Oh yeah. Gaz and I slept in the same bed last night' he remembered. 'Thank you God nothing bad happened' he thought. However when he looked at her body he realized that the shirt he gave her was too big and had slid down some and revealed her bra and breasts. 'Oh my God' he thought as he felt his pants get slightly tight. He looked down at his pants. "Oh great" he muttered. However at that moment Gaz began to wake up. 'Oh shit I can't let her see me like this' he thought and made a mad dash out of the room. He passed Dib in the hallway as he ran by. "Zim where are you going?" he yelled after the alien. "Just uh, got to go take care of some business" he called back to Dib. "Okay" was the confused teenager's reply. He then decided to go check up on his sister. He entered the room to see her awake and sitting up in the bed she was previously sleeping in. "Good morning Sleeping Beauty" he said jokingly. She smiled back at her brother. "I thought I told you to never call me that again" she said to him. "Oh c'mon don't treat me like that. After all I was really worried about you last night" he said to his sister.

"Yeah Zim told me about that" she said to him. "Um, Dib?" she began. "Yeah Gaz?" her brother responded. "Can I tell you something?" "Sure Gaz what is it?" Gaz was pretty unsure how to say this and felt nervous about telling her brother about it. "Dib, what I want to tell you is well…it's that…um…I…" Her brother however had an idea of what she was about to tell him and interrupted her stuttering. "Gaz? Are you in love with Zim?" he asked. Gaz then blushed the deepest shade of red he had ever seen her blush before. "How did you know?" she asked him. "It's kind of obvious Gaz. I mean you spend a lot of time with him and you like to tease him more than anybody else. Plus I've noticed how you blush when you look at him sometimes." She thought on this for a moment. 'Was it really that obvious?' she thought. "Is that all you had to tell me?" he asked. "Yeah it is" she said to him. She didn't want to tell him about the nightmare she had. Not yet at least. "Well okay. GIR and Mimi are making breakfast. It should be ready in about a half hour" he told her before heading out of the room.

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In a bathroom down the hall somewhere Zim had just finished releasing some "tension". He was busy looking at himself in the mirror. 'Get a hold of yourself man. Gaz went through hell last night and all you can think about is her rack' he thought to himself. '_I don't blame you though, it is a nice rack_' his conscience commented. 'Oh great what do you want?' Zim asked it. '_Now is that anyway to speak to your conscience?_' it asked him. 'I don't know considering, up until a few months ago, I didn't know I had one. Now what is it?' His conscience sighed. '_Well Zim this right hear is proof positive that you have your eyes set on her. I mean c'mon, she's cute, smart, funny, cool, and just plain enjoyable to be around._' 'Well you do have a point there…um…conscience guy. Say you know what? I don't even know your name.' Zim said. '_Oh well you can call me Steve_' his conscience said to him. ' Eh? Steve?' Zim said bewildered. '_Yeah Steve, it's not my real name but then again I don't have a name._' 'Then why did you pick Steve?' '_I don't know okay! It's hard trying to pull a name out of your ass on the spot!_' Steve yelled at Zim. '_Anyway I think you'd best be telling Gaz about your feelings soon or someone _will_ take her from you_' Steve warned.

'But who else is there besides me?' he asked knowing the answer but fearing for his conscience to give it to him. '_Oh jeez I don't know maybe that Squee kid she hangs around with. Think about it. Aside from you and Dib, Squee's the only other guy she hangs out with._' Zim thought hard about this. His conscience was right of course. Squee was the only other guy she hung around with. '_Now with that last thought I depart. Oh and by the way, next time try to be a little more inconspicuous when trying to get to a safe place to deal with your "lead pipe". I bet Dib's wondering if you got some mental illness or some thing now._" And with that Steve was gone. "I really need a vacation" Zim said to himself.

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Back on the main floor of the house, GIR and Mimi had finished making everyone chocolate chip pancakes. Dib and Tak were already eating the breakfast put before them. "Oh man GIR these are really good" Dib complimented to the little robot. "Thanks Dibbie! I makes them with lots of love. And chocolate chips" the happy little robot squealed. Gaz was the next person to come out of the toilet elevator. "Good morning Gazzie! Want some pancakes?" GIR asked the girl while holding a pile of whipped cream smeared pancakes. "No thanks GIR. But it was sweet of you for asking" she said to GIR. "Morning Gaz. Sleep well?" asked Tak. "Yeah pretty good I guess" she responded. "Hey, has anybody seen Zim? I woke up this morning and he wasn't in the room" she said. "I saw him run down the hall past me on the way to check up on you" Dib said. At that moment Zim came up to the ground level area. "Hey Zim. Where were you?" asked Gaz. "I've been planning" he told her as he walked over to his chair. "Planning what?" asked Tak. Zim looked up at the people at the table. "Our revenge on Jessica" he said.

AN: Another week another chapter. I would just like to note that the zombie thing in the nightmare was not, I repeat_ not_ for humorous purposes. It was like one of those times where you have a really bad nightmare and then it gets worse. I also listened to a lot of "mood music" while writing this chapter. Mostly stuff like Metallica, Rammstein, Slipknot, The Misfits, Thrice, System of a Down, AFI, From Autumn to Ashes, mostly horror punk and metal groups. I really hope you like. And remember to review you fuckers!


	9. Search and Destroy

How To Totally Rock!

AN: AAAAHHHH YEAH! Chapter 9 baby! Only 21 more to go, and I feel great. Quite personally I'm very excited to be writing a story that allows me to express my creativity. No matter how atrocious it is. I'd like to apologize for the lateness and everything. I would also like to point out that the story's going to get a little dark for the next couple of chapters. I'd also like to say that the 25th was my Moms b-day and I got to go to a freaking Irish pub based restaurant. It was cool. The food was delicious and the waitress who served us freaked when I walked in with my Invader Zim t-shirt. What was funny was when she served us she would sometimes talk to me about Jhonen Vasquez and Zim. It was awesome. Anyway I'll stop babbling and just start the next chapter.

Disclaimer: How many times must I say this? I'm just a broke, rebellious, geeky, teenager, mmmkay?

Punk References From Last Chapter:

Chapter Name: Thrice song name

Chapter 9: Search and Destroy

"Wait! What did you just say?" came Dib's exasperated voice. "You heard me. I said we're going to gain our vengeance on that stupid girl" replied Zim calmly. It was the night after the contest and the incident after the contest. The group was gathered in Zim's kitchen and were currently seated around the table in the room. "Zim just what kind of revenge are you talking about?" asked Tak cautiously. Zim folded his hands together. "I want to hit her where it hurts. To break her so badly that it leaves her at the brink of insanity. I want to make her pay for what she did to Gaz." Zim said in a dark tone of voice that wasn't the kind he normally spoke in. Usually his voice was full of pride, panache, and pomp. But this voice was dark and devoid of any recognizable emotion. No, there was one but it was one that had never before been heard in his voice before. It was of pure and utter loathing, anger, and spite. It was the voice of a man who had been hurt terribly and wanted justice.

"But Zim your plan doesn't involve killing anybody does it?" Mimi asked him. He laughed a bit at this. "No Mimi. As good as I am at killing and disappearing without a trace, killing my foes in this plan would be…" he paused for a brief moment looking for a suitable word. "It would be too merciful" he finished. "Jessica's intention was purely too kill Gaz. To kill her would be to clichéd and easy. No I want to break her. Make her regret what she did or rather what she _tried_ to do. However I will kill any scum I come across. But I will need help. And you better decide on whether or not you'll help me achieve retribution." The room was completely silent. "Well if no one's going to help me then I'll just do it myself." Zim said. He began to get up but a hand grabbed his. He turned to the owner of the limb, and was surprised to see Gaz holding his hand. "I'm in. I want to make that stupid bitch pay for what she tried to do to me." Gaz said. "If Gaz's in then I'm in" came Dib. "Same here" said Tak. "We won't abandon you" said Mimi. "I don't know what's going on but I wanna help!" said GIR. "Okay then" began Zim "here's the plan…"

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In a dingy bar on the other side of town, everything was pretty quiet. Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash was playing on the jukebox and everybody was busy getting drunk. It was a pretty uneventful and ordinary Saturday evening. However that was about to change really quickly. A tall man wearing torn jeans and a skeleton hoody with matching gloves walked in and sat down at the bar. "Bartender, 7-and-7" the man ordered. "Comin' right up" the bartender said with a New Jersey accent. He prepared and delivered the drink within a short period of time. He then delivered it to the man sitting at the bar. His face couldn't be seen as he was wearing red tinted shades and had his hood up. He took the drink and began downing it. "You don't seem like the customers I usually get" said the bartender. "What kind do you normally get?" the stranger asked in a low voice. "Businessmen, blue-collar middle American workers, depressed college kids, that sort of thing." "Then what makes me different from the rest of them?" The bartender shrugged, "I don't know. It just seems like that you're here for more than a drink though." The stranger finished his drink and looked up at the bartender. "Actually there is another reason why I'm here" the stranger said. "I'm looking for some information on someone." "Who?" The stranger leaned over and whispered something. "I'm sorry I didn't catch that" the bartender said. "I said I'm looking for info on the owner of this bar, Marshall Nelson."

"I'm sorry I can't help you there" the bartender said. "Why not?" the stranger asked. "Marshall Nelson is one of the richest men in the city, second only to Prof. Membrane. He's got goons that make sure nobody double crosses him or steps over the line." The stranger seemed undeterred though. "Yes I know all about this man and his power. But I guess I should have put this more specifically. I'm looking for information on his daughter Jessica" the stranger said. "And what makes you think I know anything about her?" the bartender asked. The stranger reached into his pocket and produced a photo of Jessica at his bar. "This is from last night apparently you know plenty considering she's one of your best customers despite being underage." The bartender looked cautiously around. A couple of Marshall's goons were in the bar. "Okay I'll tell you what I know" he whispered. "She comes in here every Friday with her friends. They order some drinks and just sorta talk you know?" "What do they talk about?" "You know, stuff like boys, celebrity gossip, how great and popular they are. Stuff like that" he told the stranger.

"Did she talk about anything different yesterday? Something out of the ordinary?" the stranger questioned. "Well now that I think about it she did. She and her friends came in and she was talking to them about how some girl who'd been annoying them had been "taken care of". I thought that sounded odd but I don't think it's appropriate for a bartender to question their customers. Bad for business you know?" "Do you remember the name of the girl she was talking about?" "Actually I do. Her name was Gaz I think. Odd really, the first person that came to mind when I heard that name was Membrane's daughter. I also wondered what she meant by having "taken care of her". But once again I decided not to stick my nose where it didn't belong."

The stranger was taking all this info in. He drew a deep breath and looked around the bar. Apparently the bartender was nervously staring at a group of guys in the corner of the bar. They all looked like they came out of "The Godfather" and would shoot you in the face if you so much as sneezed around them. In short, they were obviously the goons of Marshall Nelson. "What's up with those guys over there? You've been staring at them on and off since you've been talking to me" he asked the bartender. The bartender looked back at him. "Those are some of the goons that Marshall employs in this area. Those three in the corner" he motioned to them quickly "frequent my bar just about every night to make sure that I'm being good and not getting in trouble. See when I started this bar I needed money and borrowed some from Nelson. In exchange he required I serve his goons, family, and himself free drinks whenever they want." The stranger just sat there. "So basically he's a two-bit gangster?" the stranger asked.

"I guess you can say that. On the outside he seems like just some rich businessman like Donald Trump who, probably has a freaking jet made of gold. But if you dig deeper, you'll find a sleazy scumbag who does everything from drug trafficking, money laundering, gun smuggling, and illicit pornography. The man is so fucking powerful though he's been able to keep it a secret though. I'm one of the people who knows which is another reason why he sends all these goons here. And to tell you the truth, I lied about the kind of customers I get. I just get gangsters, pimps, and drug dealers. I wish I could go back and stop myself from borrowing that money. Unfortunately I can't do anything right now since I'm surrounded by criminals and goons as we speak."

The stranger leaned in closer to the bartender. "I can actually help you out. I just need you to do something though" he said. "What?" asked the bartender. He slipped him a large wad of cash. "Take this money and leave the bar. It's gonna get pretty ugly and I don't think you want to get involved" he said. The bartender looked at the money, grabbed it and high tailed it out of there. The stranger then got up and walked over to the jukebox. The Johnny Cash song had ended a long time ago and he decided some new tunes were in order. He placed three quarters in it and picked three songs off the list. Perfect choices too I might add considering what he was about to do. He had picked "Liberate" by Disturbed, "I Am Hated" by Slipknot, and "Superbeast" by Rob Zombie. He walked to the middle of the bar. "Attention everyone" he announced. "It has come to my attention that all you scumbags here are nothing but thorns in societies side. And as abhorrent as society is, I must say that you people make me sick to my stomach."

This of course caused all the patrons to get pissed at him. One of the people, a pimp it seemed, got up and walked over to him. "Man who da fuck do ya think you are?" he said as he walked over to the stranger. "I oughtta bitch slap you, you stupid mother fucker!" he yelled. "Then try prick" the stranger said. "Why you!" the pimp yelled as he swung his hand forward. But the next thing he knew the dude in front of him was gone and his hand was flying through the air before landing on the other side of the bar. He looked at where his hand was and began screaming in pain and horror. However his screams were cut short as his head was removed from his body.

The stranger stood in the middle of the bar holding a katana. The pimps headless body collapsed in a large pool of blood. "Get that asshole!" someone yelled and everyone charged. "Liberate" began to play in the background and the lyrics fuelled the strangers rage towards the pricks in the bar. One attacked him head on with a switchblade but all he felt was a gentle breeze before his body fell apart. Another tried shooting him but just as soon as he pulled his gun out his hands disappeared and a sword was planted through his forehead. Some guys opened fire on the stranger but he flipped over them, sheathing his sword in the process. When he landed he pulled out two uzis and opened fire on some of them. They collapsed in pools of crimson as their friends opened up on him. He dodged by diving to the side and opened fire on them taking down two of them. The jukebox, which was surprisingly unscathed, began playing "I Am Hated" which just added more to the mood.

He began singing along as he killed criminal after criminal. Eventually though the music stopped and so did the stranger. Everyone froze as the stranger calmly walked over to the jukebox and kicked it starting it back up again. Without missing a beat he flung a gun over his shoulder and shot more guys. This continued until the last song ended. After which the bar was a mess of splintered wood and glass, bullet holes, spent casings, severed limbs, blood, and corpses. Only one guy was alive and breathing. The stranger walked up to him and looked down. "I left you alive for a reason. I want you to tell Marshall Nelson something" he said. "What?" the goon squeaked out pissing his pants in fear. The stranger removed his shades and glasses to reveal black hair, green skin, and blue eyes. "Tell him, Zim is coming for him and his daughter." He then turned and walked out of the bar leaving the lone survivor alone as he passed out.

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Back in a familiar cul-de-sac, a lime green dog was carrying groceries and drinking a Poop Cola Suck Monkey. He approached a green and purple house, which obviously stood out from the others in the neighborhood. He entered the house and walked over to the trashcan in the kitchen he stepped on the little pedal and jumped inside when it opened. He slid down what appeared to be a long chute, but to where? Well that was one place that most people wouldn't be able to see. But then again, I'm narrating the story here so I get to see it. Anyway it was a large laboratory that branched off into several other rooms. The little doggie walked through the laboratory and out through it's doors. He then headed down a hallway to a door on his left and went through it. "I'm back and I gots food and a Suck Monkey!" he shouted to the others in the room.

Everyone turned to look at the little green canine. "Wow you're doggie disguise GIR? You haven't worn that one in awhile." Zim said. "I just felt like being a doggie today" he said to Zim. It was almost noon, a day after Zim's little "escapade" the night before. His plan was for them to hit all the establishments that Marshall Nelson controlled, reveal to police his shady business dealings, and destroy his business from the inside. Why? Obviously to get revenge on Jessica, but also to get rid of an even bigger problem…a criminal asshole who deserved to be taken down.

Another big problem that Nelson provided was his beef with the underground scene in the area. Apparently he offered to buy The Pit shortly after it opened. Dexter declined the offer and apparently got his house vandalized and many other things happen to him. They stopped after awhile but only because Marshall grew tired with playing with something that would not give him any enjoyment. He also tried to buy any indie music, comic book, and game shops that popped up. But apparently all the small time businesses banded together to keep him from acquiring them through any sleazy means necessary. It worked apparently as he didn't bother trying to acquire anymore. But that wasn't the only problem he posed. He ran several casinos that were actually fronts for money laundering, drug trafficking, and prostitution. He ran several bars and strip clubs of a shady nature. He was a scumbag. A total fucking scumbag pure and simple, someone with so much power it wasn't even funny.

He was a man who would kill his own mother if she threatened his empire. A man so twisted, amoral, and sick, he made people like Al Capone and Charles Manson look like Mr. Rogers. He was like Satan in an expensive Italian suit. What's his was his and what wasn't he would get by any means necessary. That night they were to hit up a strip joint in the downtown area. Apparently they found out that Jessica's boyfriend frequented it a lot. They could use him for information. So they decided they'd go and pay him a little visit. Everyone was currently working out the best plan of attack to get him out. "So how are we going to do this?" asked Dib who was sporting his new Nirvana t-shirt. Zim was busy pacing back and forth in front of them. He was wearing a Bouncing Souls t-shirt and his camo cargo pants. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it again and shook his head. He continued pacing around the room, which was silent except for the slurping sounds GIR was making while drinking. Zim looked up at his friends who were sitting in the room with him.

"I think I have an idea" he told them. "Okay what is it?" asked Gaz. "Well it's the only one I could think of that would work but I don't think you'll like it." Tak was getting impatient. "Oh just get on with it already" she said impatiently. "Well the plan would be to have GIR and Mimi stay behind and monitor the situation in the club using an old surveillance satellite that I had put into space back when I was still planning on invading this dirt ball. Dib and I will enter the club pretending to be paying customers. Gaz you'll sneak in through the back and try and find some info on their customers." Zim said. "It doesn't sound so bad so far." Tak said. "But where do I come in?" she continued. "Well um, that's the part I'm not sure you'll like." Zim told her. "It can't be that bad." Tak insisted. "Well you'll need to disguise yourself as a stripper and take Jeff into a VIP room to knock him out." "I have to WHAT!" Tak shouted. "Well you only have to disguise yourself as a stripper. I didn't say anything about doing anything with Jeff." Tak was still shocked and angry though. "No. No way am I degrading myself like that." Zim however had a different agenda. "Look Tak I know this is something that you'd rather not do but we need your cooperation if we're to successfully pull this off" he told her.

"No I refuse to degrade myself in that way." Tak told him. She got up to leave but was stopped by a hand grabbing her arm. She turned to see who had stopped her. It was Dib of all people. "Let go of me Dib" she ordered. "No Tak" he said to her. "I said let go!" she shouted at him. "And I said no Tak. Look I know you don't want to do this, I don't want you to do this either. But quite frankly we need to sometimes do things in life we don't want to do if it helps someone out. And we need all the help we can get from anyone we can." He had a point. This was to get revenge on Gaz's assailant. And Gaz was her best friend. "Besides" Dib continued. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you" he told her. "You promise?" she asked him. "I promise" he assured her. "Okay, I'll do it. But I won't like it." "Okay then, we do this thing at 9:00PM" Zim told everyone.

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The most popular strip club in the city was the Peppermint Rooster Gentleman's Club. It was located downtown and was situated near Lefty's Tattoo Parlor and an abandoned apartment building. A Toyota Supra rolled up to the parking lot. Zim and Dib stepped out of it. "Were here. Mimi, GIR, you ready?" Zim asked over a walkie talkie. "We're ready when you are Zim" Mimi responded. "Gaz, are you and Tak ready?" Zim asked. "As ready as we'll ever be." Gaz replied. "Good, now guys this is going to be tricky. We'll need to be on our toes okay?" "Understood" the others replied. "Okay, Dib and I are heading in. Tak you and Gaz enter through the rear." "Okay." Zim put his walkie talkie away and began walking towards the entrance. "Zim are you sure we can get in. I mean for one thing we're underage, and two we don't exactly look like someone who's decided to come in for a lap dance" said Dib. "Zim relax. I planned this out from the beginning." Zim told his worried friend. He and Dib got to the front where the bouncer was. You could tell he was a bouncer because he looked like he was seven feet tall and could break you in half.

"ID's please" he said to them. "Here you go sir" Zim said as he produced two fake ID's. The bouncer looked them over. "Okay go on in" he told the two. He then removed the velvet rope and allowed them in. As they entered into the club Dib looked around in wide eyed wonder. It looked just like the ones in the movies. Bar, pole dancing stage, VIP rooms, yep it was a strip club alright. "What do we do now?" asked Dib. "Duh, try and fit in. Jeff comes in at around 9:30PM. We've got about a half hour." "Might as well hit the bar then" Dib said.

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As Zim and Dib were getting in, Gaz and Tak were themselves, but through a different way entirely. They had snuck in through the back door and were being helped along by Mimi who was telling them where to go. "Okay you're in the back room. Go through the door on the right. You'll enter a hallway. Go left and continue forward. When you get to the end of the hallway enter the door on your left. You'll be in the changing room. Now Jeff's favorite stripper, Krystal, is down there. Knock her out and have Tak change her holo-disguise appearance so that she looks like her. After that go out, and wait for Jeff. Did you get all that?" she asked them. "Yes, Mimi" said Gaz.

They creeped out of the room and looked down the hallway. No one was coming. Good. They sneaked down the hallway to the last door on the left. "Ready?" Gaz asked Tak. "As I'll ever be" she told her friend. They then crept into the locker room. Only one woman was in there. "Is that her Mimi?" Gaz asked. "Yes. Now you better hurry up." "Okay" Gaz said. They snuck up behind her and…WHAM! A single non-lethal blow to her head and she was out cold. Tak immediately reconfigured her holo-disguise to look like the unconscious woman. After that was done they hid her in a locker. "Okay, now Tak get to the front area. Go through the door at the other end of the room. Gaz go get those customer records." "Okay. You gonna be okay Tak?" Gaz asked her best friend. "Yeah, but I feel ridiculous" she told her. "Don't worry. This'll be over soon." She then began to leave until Tak called out to her. "Gaz!" "What?" "Don't get caught." "Hey, even if I am, I'm me. They'll be the ones who suffer." And with that Gaz left. 'Okay Tak calm down, this is for a good cause' she thought as she walked out the door.

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Back at the front Zim and Dib were waiting for Jeff. They had already downed a couple of drinks and were sitting down looking for their "guest". Almost as if on cue he entered. "Looks like are friend is here Zim." Dib said. "Yep. Now if we only knew who Tak disguised herself as" said Zim. "Why don't you look behind you" came a voice. They turned around to see a woman about Tak's height with long blonde hair and great breasts. "Tak?" Dib asked. "The one and only" the woman said. "Where's Gaz?" he asked. Going to get the customer info. I bet she's already down by now." "Oh c'mon Tak Gaz can't possibly be done…" Dib was cut short by a transmission to their earpieces. "I got the info" came Gaz's voice. "Mother fucker" swore Dib.

"Yes, yes, Gaz's amazing. But we need to go get Jeff now" Zim said. "Don't worry I'm on it" Tak said. She then walked over to Jeff who was looking around. "Hey there big boy" Tak said in a seductive tone. "Ah Krystal, ready for another adventure?" he asked. "You bet my best customer" Tak said to him. "Okay let me pay for a room and we can get down to business" he told her. 'Yes we can' she thought. After doing that they went into a VIP room Jeff sat down waiting for a lap dance. "I really love coming here you know" he began saying. "All the girls here have much bigger boobs than my girlfriend. I mean she's loaded right the least she could do is get some implants or something right?" he asked unaware of the blow coming to him. "I mean c'mon, I'm her boyfriend. She should do anything for me if I want her to. I mean she is mine and every…" CRACK! He was knocked cold by a blow to his head. "I got him" Tak reported.

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Two hours later Jeff woke up in a dark room. "Where the hell am I?" he asked. Suddenly lights flooded his vision. The group, were sitting in front of him at a table. "Where are you?" Zim said. "Welcome to hell Jeff" he said.

AN: Oh finally! I'm done. Hope you guys like this. And don't worry, I'm still going for a punk band theme. There's just gonna be a couple "side trips" along the way. Now read and review!


	10. The After Dinner Payback

How To Totally Rock!

AN: HIIIII! It's me GunGreg89 with another glorious chapter of How To Totally Rock! As stated in the previous chapter things are going to get a little dark for a few chapters. This next chapter will feature some descriptions of torture and the like. Man too bad there isn't a T + rating on Fan Fiction for this thing as I would probably rate this as suitable for ages 16 and up. Not quite M rated, not quite T rated ya know? I'd also like to include that something called the Invader Zim Fan Animated Series. It's a flash animated continuation of the awesome series so unjustly cancelled by those tyrants at Nickelodeon. Damn you Nick, damn you and your canceling good shows like Zim, Danny Phantom, and Fairly Oddparents. OK I'm done. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Zim is owned by Jhonen Vasquez, got it? Bow down to his awesomeness! BOW DOWN I SAID!

Last Chapter Name: The Stooges and Iggy Pop song name

Chapter 10: The After Dinner Payback

"Where the hell am I?" asked Jeff as he sat in a cold, dark, room. Lights flooded his vision and when they adjusted he saw he was fastened to a chair and Zim and the others were sitting in front of him. "Where are you?" Zim said. "Why welcome to hell Jeffy."

"Hey wait a minute you're those assholes who insulted the awesomeness of my band" he said to them. "Brilliant deduction Sherlock" mocked Gaz. "Why am I here? Where the hell is Krystal?" he asked. "Oh she's fine, which is something you won't be." Zim assured. "What do you want from me? Is this some sort of demented way of apologizing for the way you treated me and my band?" Jeff asked. "No, my retarded guest. This is not." Zim said to Jeff. "Then what is it?" Zim chuckled before saying, "It's a torture chamber." "A t-t-torture chamber?" Jeff asked stuttering in fear. "Yes Jeff a torture chamber. You see your girlfriend Jessica tried to kill Gaz after the contest a couple of days ago. And I happen to know for a fact that you're the one who drove the car she shot Gaz and escaped in." Zim told Jeff with a malicious grin on his face. "Yeah, so what if I did?" Jeff asked unaware of the pain about to befall him.

The next thing Jeff knew, Zim was upon him with his hand around his neck. "You don't seem to comprehend your surroundings meatbag. See I'm the one calling the shots, and I want questions. And according to sources you have answers." "Who said I'll give 'em to you?" Jeff questioned. Zim just chuckled at this. "I don't think you have a choice in the matter" he said to Jeff. "You see Jeff, I have ways of making people talk. They are…how should I put this?" he asked. "_Extremely_ painful." Zim said putting an emphasis on the word "extremely". Zim began walking around the room quietly eyeing his "guest". "So Zim, what should we do to him first?" asked Gaz with a hint of malice in her voice. "Good question Gaz. Let's see here…I've got it" he said. He then walked over to a control panel on the opposite wall. He pressed a button on it causing a portion of the wall to flip over revealing a weapons cache.

Zim looked through the massive amount of weapons he had at his disposal. He picked the same katana he used to butcher all the thugs at the bar the other night. He looked over it with utmost care and grinned. "Ya know Jeff? In Japan the Japanese mafia, or Yakuza, as they're more commonly called, have this form of punishment for traitors. What they do is have the traitor's knuckles cut off one by one. It's said to be very painful." Zim explained to his prisoner. He stood in front of Jeff and slowly unsheathed the slightly curved sword. Jeff looked at it in horror, unable to speak. "But I'm not that cruel, oh no. I'm much more cruel." Zim told him. Jeff was, needless to say, scared shitless. "What are you gonna do to me?" he asked frightened. Zim grinned, "I'm glad you asked worm" he told Jeff.

"You see the chair you're strapped in is equipped with a lie detector. I'll ask you a question. If you answer correctly then I'll be happy. If not, then you'll lose a body part." Jeff blanched, "Y-you're bluffing" he said to Zim. "Are you sure I am?" Zim asked. "Of course" he said. Suddenly a sound could be heard which signified that the answer was false. Without blinking Zim swiped the sword and the pointer finger on Jeff's left hand was sent flying across the room. Jeff immediately began howling in pain as he began bleeding all over the place. "Does that answer your question?" Zim asked him. "AAAAHHH! YOU BASTARD! WHEN I GET OUT I'LL KILL YOU!" Jeff screamed. "You know" Zim began, "I'm not gonna cut off any more." "Of course not cause you're chicken" Jeff said. "No, it's because I'm wearing a new shirt and don't want blood on it. Gaz would you be so kind as to help me?" Zim asked the girl behind him. She came over with a large, morbid grin on her face. "I'd be delighted" she told him. She took the katana from Zim who then pulled up a chair.

"Now Jeff." Zim said as he sat down. "I'm going to begin asking questions. Remember, answer correctly and you can walk away all peachy keen. Answer with a lie and you'll lose more body parts." Jeff glared at his captor with anger in his eyes. "Now Jeff, which casino's in town have drug factories in them?" "I don't know" Jeff said. The beep went off meaning the answer was false, as did another one of his fingers. After Jeff's howling stopped, Zim asked him the question again. "Now Jeff, which casino's are fronts for drug factories. Jeff winced from all the pain. "The…Good Times Casino, High Roller, and Lucky 7 Casino." Jeff breathed out in between winces of pain. "Good. Now where does Jessica hang out the most?" Zim asked. "I'm not telling you that." Jeff said to Zim. Jeff's entire hand was then lopped off. He began screaming in pain once again. "Oh I forgot to tell you Jeff. If you flat out refuse to answer a question, you'll lose more than just a finger. Every refusal will get a larger part cut off." Jeff was now crying, "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"One word scumbag: justice. Something filth like you are not brought to enough in this world" Zim said. "It's amazing how someone so brutally corrupt like Marshall Nelson can keep his power just by buying people out. Judges are bought out to make sure he stays in power. Sooner or later he'll just take over the whole goddamn city, and then what? The few morals left in this cesspool will go right down the freaking crapper, that's what! I might have done some fucked up things in my life but at least I now know that they were wrong and accept the fact that we all make mistakes. I'm not saying that as an excuse, oh no. I'm saying it as the truth. I regret a lot of things I did in the past. But I at least know that I'm not beyond redemption. In fact I think this whole crusade should be enough to redeem me. You see Jeff I want revenge on Jessica. She went too far with her little escapade that day. And I want to destroy her. Not physically no, where would the fun in that be? No, I want her to suffer for the rest of her miserable life. I want to drive her insane where she will have to suffer from hallucinations, paranoia, and constant fear for the rest of her life, to kill her mentally not physically. And you are my ticket to finding out how to get to her."

Jeff was scared beyond all belief by now. His mind was slowly breaking due to all the stuff that happened to him so far. "Now I'll say it again. Where does Jessica hang out the most?" Jeff was slowly breaking apart and was feeling woozy due to blood loss so his thoughts weren't really coherent to him. "The Killer Bee Club." Jeff told them. Zim smirked. "Thank you Jeff. And for your parting gift I leave you with this." Zim then whipped his disguise off and used a device similar to his PAK to sprout spider like legs to stand several feet over Jeff. Jeff screamed at the top of his lungs, wet his pants, and passed out in that order. Zim then got down and removed the device. "Tak, you and Dib go get Jeff patched up. Send him out onto the street. Hopefully when he'll wake up he'll drive himself insane trying to convince people of what he saw." Zim said. Tak and Dib then carried Jeff's unconscious body to the medical bay leaving Zim and Gaz alone in the room.

Gaz was still holding the katana she used to cut that bastard's digits off. It had quite a bit of blood on it and the crimson substance was slowly dripping off the blade and splashing into tiny little pools on the floor. Gaz held the blade up to her face and looked at her reflection in it. Her face was stained with blood, as was her black shirt. She brought the blade closer to her face. She then stuck her tongue out and licked some blood off the side of the blade. "Kinda cliché don't ya think?" Zim asked her. She lowered the blade and wiped the excess blood off on her arm. "Who cares? I always wanted to do that. Besides, who cares if it is clichéd? It's still pretty bad ass" she said to him. Zim nodded his head in approval, "Yes it is quite bad ass isn't it?" He walked over to her and she handed the blade over to him. "That's quite an excellent sword right there Zim. Where did you get it?" Gaz asked.

"I didn't get it anywhere. I made it myself" he stated proudly. "You made that?" she asked astounded. He wiped it off with a cloth and admired its sheen. "Yes I did. I took an interest in Japanese sword fighting a couple of years ago and studied several fighting styles, mostly Iaido and Kendo really. I was disappointed though to learn that although stores sold replicas, they weren't battle ready. So I made my own. I got all the components needed and I crafted it myself. I do say though, I never thought it'd be as sharp as it is though." He looked it over as he was saying all this and gazed at his craftsmanship. "I found out I could cut through just about anything with just a swing. It can cut through, steel, wood, flesh, and a bunch of other things as if they were nothing."

"It's really that good huh?" Gaz asked. "Yes it is. I made it with a special alloy I found in an asteroid from your galaxy's asteroid belt. Its properties are vastly different from any metal on earth. It's so hard it can cut through just about anything as I said. The only thing it can't cut is itself. Much like diamonds on this world." Zim said. "Does it have a name?" Gaz asked. "Well I couldn't think of an original name so I used Gundanium Alloy." Zim said. "Gundanium Alloy?" Gaz questioned. "Yes." "You mean the name given to the imaginary metal in the Gundam saga?" "Yes." Gaz just sort of stared at him for a minute. "What?" Zim asked. "Of all the scientific things to call it you decided to name it after something from an anime?" "Yeah, basically" he said to her. She chuckled a bit at this. "Can't really blame you though. Gundam is cool." Zim nodded in agreement. "Indeed it is, especially the original, 0080, Wing, and Seed" he said. "I loved Gundam Wing. I always thought that show was the shit." Gaz said. "It was pretty bitchin'" Zim agreed.

"I also had this crush on Duo and Trowa from that show" Gaz admitted. "Yeah, you and every other girl who watched that show." Zim teased. "Oh shut up Zim" she retorted playfully. "Make me" he replied. "Okay" she said and kissed him on the cheek. Zim's mouth fell open and he just stood there. "See ya." Gaz said before running out of the room. Zim just stood there for a minute. 'What the hell just happened?' he thought to himself. '_She just kissed you dumb ass_' came the familiar voice of Zim's conscience Steve. 'Well I know that Steve. The question is why? I mean she most likely did it as a joke but I wonder if there's more behind it.' '_I wish I knew man. Unfortunately I don't. I'm only a source of moral guidance remember, not a frickin' psychic._' 'I know Steve' Zim assured his conscience. '_Good, now uh you better get to seeing to your friends dude._' Steve told him. 'Okay' Zim said and ran off to join his friends.

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"In today's news, Jeffery Dunn was found wandering the streets downtown. He was babbling incoherently about being kidnapped, mutilated, and terrorized by an alien. He was immediately taken to the local hospital where he was declared "mentally insane" and sent to the local asylum. Doctors believe that this dementia was caused by a combination of problems at home, alcohol, and drugs. He was currently dating local billionaire, Marshall Nelson's daughter Jessica Nelson. She has stated her utmost sympathy for him and his family. Next up, we try and convince you that music, video games, and cartoons do cause kids to kill with totally unreliable scientific facts made by close minded scientists!"

A hand turned the TV news off. "So the boy my daughter's been dating has gone insane" an ominous voice stated. "I guess it was to be expected. As long as they don't connect that he got drugs and booze from any of the places I own" the voice continued. "Rocco" "Yes sir?" came the reply of a random goon standing behind the owner of the ominous voice. "Make sure that the police don't link anything to me. Just to make sure" the voice commanded. "Yes sir, Mr. Nelson" the goon replied. The owner of the voice was a tall black haired man with a stubble. He was about 6' 5" and was 46 years old. He had piercing cold gray eyes and a voice that could put fear into most men.

"Hopefully I'll be able to get a press blackout on any details regarding any of my involvement" he said to himself. He looked out the window at the city and smiled. "Sooner or later I'm going to take this city. And that day can't come soon enough" he said to himself. As he said this, his intercom buzzed. He pressed the button on it before answering, "What Maggie?" "Mr. Nelson, your employee Carl is here. He says he's been released from police questioning and must speak to you personally" his secretary told him. Marshall thought on this. He then remembered. Carl was one of his men at the bar that was destroyed a couple of nights ago. Police had taken him in for questioning on who did it, but he was too frightened to tell them much. "Send him in Maggie" he told her. Within a few seconds the goon entered the room. "Carl good to see you. Please pull up a seat." Marshall told his henchman. "Yes sir, Mr. Nelson" the thug replied. He took his seat as he was told. "So what is it you needed to tell me?" the man behind the desk asked. "Well sir, when I was being questioned by the police I never told them exactly what happened at the bar." "Okay good. Did you tell them anything else?" "No." "Good man. Now tell me what you needed to tell me." "Well sir, the man who massacred everyone there left me alive for a soul reason you see…" "Wait, did you say one man?" "Yes sir, a teenager it seemed to be more exactly. Anyway, he left me alive because he wanted me to give you a message." "Which is?" "He told me that 'Zim is coming for you and Jessica.'"

Marshall leaned back in his chair. "His name's Zim?" Marshall asked. "Yes sir." Carl replied. "And you said he's a teenager?" "Yes." "So some of my best men and a bunch of veteran criminals were massacred in one of _my_ bars by a teenager?" "Well yeah, but I don't see where you're going with this…" He was cut short by a bullet ripping most of his brain from his. Marshall sat back down. He pulled out a promo poster for a show by The Invaders in August. He looked at the name of one of the members. Zim. "I think I'll need to pay this, Zim, a visit" he said forebodingly.

AN: Yeah I know short. But at least it's better than my last short chapter (chapter 5). Hope you guys like. And remember: READ AND REVIEW!


	11. We Are Always Searching

How To Totally Rock!

AN: Yeah, yet another chapter in this sorry excuse for literature! Huzzah! Anyway, joking aside, I'm happy so many people are enjoying this. I'm thinking of doing another Zim fic in the near future, which will be a black comedy. I've also got some songfic ideas I'd like to use. This next chapter will focus own the DATR part of the story which I've been neglecting lately _and_ as an added bonus, Tak's story on how she got back to Earth and befriended the group. Plus, surprise cameos! By who? Read and find out. NOW ENJOY OR ELSE!

Disclaimer: ME OWN NOTHING! OKAY!

Chapter Name Reference: From Autumn to Ashes song name

Chapter 11: We Are Always Searching

It had been two weeks since Zim, Gaz, Dib, Tak, GIR, and Mimi had begun their revenge plan. It had been going along well without a single hitch. They had hit up various areas looking for information on possible leads on Jessica and Marshall. They had also been prepping for their attacks on the casinos. They had spent pretty much all night devising their plans on how to make their attack that night on the first casino, the High Roller. It would be very difficult as the casino had a huge amount of security and would need skill and cunning to access it and expose the drug running underneath the casino façade.

It was 6 o'clock in the morning and everyone was just getting to bed after a long night of planning and training. Everyone had been sleeping at Zim's house since Gaz got shot. Dib and Gaz only periodically went back home to get things they needed. Tak had an android clone made for herself, Dib, and Gaz to go to their jobs for them while they themselves helped Zim. Everyone had their own room in the depths of Zim's base. Tak and Dib's rooms were pretty much bare bones except for the essentials. Gaz on the other hand brought over most of her stuff saying she just couldn't sleep without her Murderdolls poster above her bed. Or her Meatwad plushie, or her Foamy alarm clock, or her Fullmetal Alchemist action figures, or…well you get the idea. She said it made her feel more at home having her stuff with her. That and she liked looking at her Murderdolls poster. Mostly because Joey Jordison was in the band and she thought he was cute.

Anyway back on topic, the group was going to sleep one by one. Zim, Gaz, GIR, and Mimi were already resting leaving Dib and Tak as the only people awake. Dib was currently getting ready to go to bed in his room and was interrupted by a knock at his door. He walked over and opened the door. Tak was standing right outside his door in her pajamas, which were a baggy t-shirt and pajama pants. "Tak?" Dib said with a slight tone of shock in his voice. "What's wrong?" he asked her. She looked to the side for a moment and sighed. "Dib can I talk to you about something?" she asked. "Sure, come on in" he invited. She walked in slowly and he shut the door behind her. "What seems to be the problem Tak?" he asked the female alien in the room with him.

She sat down on the bed and he decided to sit down next to her on the bed. "Well it's kind of complicated" she said. He put his hand on hers causing her to blush slightly. "I'm here for you. You can tell me anything" he said to her. This caused her to blush even more. "Well" she began nervously. "I'm worried about what might happen on these missions. I mean I'm dedicated to my friends and I want those scumbags who hurt Gaz to receive justice. But at the same time I worry that when everything really begins to go down, will I live to see tomorrow? It's silly really considering I never worried about things like that before. But then again…that's before I had any reason to live other than conquering and destroying. After I was banished I considered just letting myself float in space until I died. Yet I didn't and by chance I ended up back on Earth." "And you befriended us." Dib added. "Yes." Tak said.

"But recently I've been feeling differently about someone in our group" she said. Dib felt his heart leap into his throat. "Really, who?" he asked simultaneously craving the answer and fearing it. She looked up at him with her violet eyes and a blush on her face. "You" she said. "Me?" he said in both shock and joy. "Yes you. Even back when I first met you when I was trying to take over this planet I felt…complete around you. I felt angry at first when you, Zim, Gaz, and GIR stopped my plan to destroy your race. But as time went by I felt different and I realized something." "What?" "I love you Dib Membrane." Tak told him and without a word of warning kissed him. "I'm sorry Dib" she apologized as she pulled away from him. "I just…" But her sentence was cut short by his lips upon hers. "Don't be" he assured her. "I love you to Tak."

The two then wrapped their arms around each other as they begin to kiss each other. First softly and tenderly, then as their cravings for each other grew they kissed more passionately allowing their tongues to explore each other's mouths. As they continued to kiss their passion grew and they both began caressing each other. Dib began kissing Tak's neck and she groaned in pleasure at the feeling. As all this was happening she remembered back on when she was exiled and everything that led up to her befriending the others.

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Emptiness. That's most likely the best way to describe the vastness of space. Basically in its purest sense space was a void pure and simple, with planets, asteroids, moons, stars, black holes, and beings just happening to be in it. It was strange really. That on every planet there was most likely someone who at the beginning of their life believed that their planet was massive. But as they grew older they realized that the planet they called home, was nothing more than a speck in comparison to the massiveness of space. Like the universe is some divine creators science project and we're all just the bacteria in the fluid under the microscope, an odd feeling that all intelligent beings have felt at some time in their life. It was the kind of feeling one might have if they were floating in space. Which is _exactly_ what Tak was doing.

She had been floating in the escape pod of her ship for a few days now. There were no hospitable planets or moons around for what seemed like miles. Though in space, things like feet, miles, or just about any unit of measurement for space traveled were practically useless in space. She could only guess that she had been floating for days as she had to turn the engines off to conserve energy and turned everything else off except her ships air supply. She had no idea where she was, what time it was, or how long she had been trapped in this accursed thing. All she knew was that she was tired, cramped, and depressed. She would sometimes think about just turning the ships air supply too and just slowly suffocate to death. Morbid, yes, but better than an eternity spent floating in space alone.

She knew Irkens had no need for things like friendship and company, but at the same time still felt lonely. As she was sitting there though something caught her eye. It appeared to be a docking station of some sort. Its origin though was a mystery to her, as she had never seen this kind before. It was close and she could refuel and maybe find out where she was. She started up the engines and flew towards it. She activated the ships holo-disguise and her own to make herself look like a Vortian, just in case it was inhabited. As she approached, her ship received a message. She answered and was greeted by the face of an odd looking alien. He appeared to look like an upside down cone with a smiley face on it. "HI!" the face on the cone said. "I'm Shloonktapooxis and need identification please!" he said. "Umm, I'm Deji from Vortia." Tak lied to him. "Cool! We got a guy here from Vortia too! I'll open the docking bay right now."

The transmission ended and Tak noticed that the nearby docking bay was opening. She piloted her craft into it and it closed behind her. She exited her craft and was immediately greeted by a loud "Hello". She turned around to the source of the voice and saw a Vortian male standing behind her. "My name is Lard Nar, and welcome to my docking station" he said to her. "Hello" she replied hesitantly unsure of what to say to the newly introduced person in front of her. He was short at about 4 feet tall though that was about the same height as herself so he wasn't all that short to her. "I heard a fellow Vortian had come aboard and I had to see for myself if that was true" Lard Nar stated. "I don't normally greet people when they come aboard but I made an exception for this occasion" he stated proudly. "Okay" Tak said slowly. "Umm, what kind of space station is this?" she asked. "I'm glad you asked. Come with me and see." Lard Nar invited her. They both walked into an elevator and ascended several floors. "Here we are" the guide said to Tak.

When the doors opened up she saw out onto a walkway suspended above what appeared to be a city. What's more all the citizens were members of races the Irkens had enslaved. As she looked out at the city from the walkway they were on, the cone creature, Shloonktapooxis joined them. "Pretty awesome huh?" he asked Tak. "What is it?" she asked. "It's the last bit of safety we have. It's a space station for people whose lives were ruined by the Irken menace when they enslaved their people." "Who built it?" Lard Nar beamed before answering, "Why only the most elite anti-Irken guerilla group, THE RESISTY!" Tak just sort of stared at him for a while with a "WTF" kind of look on her face. "Your group is called The Resisty?" she asked. "Yes, well I didn't name it myself." Lard Nar admitted. "I wanted to call it The Pirate Monkeys." Shloonktapooxis added in. Both Lard Nar and Tak turned and stared at him. "What? Issa awesome name" he said.

"Yes well, this was created as a sort of haven for both travelers and refugees. It's a place where people of all races can live without fear of the Irken menace. It's in every meaning of the word, a utopia." Tak continued to look out at the city and its magnificence as the three continued down the walkway. "We have created a place where there is freedom from war, hunger, pestilence, crime, murder and all the other flaws of the universe." Lard Nar continued. "It seems so peaceful here." Tak commented. "Yes, well we owe that to are newest recruit here." Lard Nar said as they reached the end of the walkway. "Really? Who is it?" Tak asked. "Oh he's a really cool guy." Shloonktapooxis said to her. "Yes he is quite useful. Oh in fact that's him right now!" Lard Nar said. As they approached a person hunched over something. "New recruit! How comes our new plan?" Lard Nar asked the hunched over recruit.

"It's coming along well sir" the recruit said. 'That voice, why is it so familiar?' Tak thought. However her question was quickly answered when the recruit stood up to reveal green skin and antennae. But when he turned around she was astonished to see…Skoodge. "This is our new recruit Skoodge." Lard Nar said. "He's an Irken I know but apparently he himself was fed up with the way the Tallest treated him and he decided to join up with us." Tak could not believe this. Skoodge was in league with an anti-Irken guerilla group? Had the Tallest really treated him so badly that he decided to join these fools? No, the Skoodge she knew was loyal to the Tallest to the very end. If anything this was most likely an undercover operation. "Nice to meet you." Tak said to the Irken in front of her. "Well okay then, Skoodge help this new arrival to get some fresh supplies and to help her with anything she asks." Lard Nar commanded to the young Irken. "Yes sir, commander!" Skoodge said saluting.

After this Lard Nar and Shloonktapooxis turned around and left the two. As soon as they were out of sight and earshot Tak turned to Skoodge. "So you're a Vortian too like commander Lard Nar, eh?" he asked her. "Okay Skoodge drop the act" she said to him. "What are you talking about?" he questioned. She deactivated her holo-disguise and Skoodge gasped in surprise. "Tak! What are you doing here? Have you come to help the rebellion?" he asked her. "No you dunce! I'm here because I need refueling so I can get to the Massive." "But why?" "Because I need to report in with the Tallest Skoodge. And you can drop the act, those two buffoons are gone." Skoodge looked at her puzzled. "What are you talking about?" he asked her. "What do you think I'm talking about? I'm talking about your little undercover scheme to undermine these pathetic losers." "Tak I'm not undercover. I'm actually working for these guys. My eyes are open now to the truth. I've seen how the poor people of the planets we've conquered have been treated. Except for the people of Blortch who were just crazy rat people. But still I'm not on the side of the Armada anymore. I'm a changed person." Tak reactivated the holo-disguise and turned away from her. "Yes you are a changed person Skoodge, but not for the best." She then began walking away but stopped and turned back to him from now on Skoodge. We're enemies."

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A couple hours later Tak was back in space with her ship completely refueled. 'Stupid Skoodge, he must be fucking insane to turn his back on the Armada. Joining forces with that ridiculous "Resisty" group. He should have been deactivated years ago.' Tak thought as she piloted her ship towards where the Massive was. She had found it using her escape pods computers. Within a half hour she was at the Massive and had received permission to dock. After docking she made haste to the bridge where the Tallest were. "My Tallest" a guard who protected the entrance to the bridge said to them. "An Invader Tak is here to see you" he told his leaders. "Send her in." Tallest Red said to the guard. Shortly afterward Tak entered and bowed to her Tallest. "So Invader Tak, how was your time on Earth?" Tallest Red asked her. "Miserable, my Tallest" she told them. "So why have you come to see us?" Tallest Purple asked this time. "Well it's about my mission my Tallest" she told them.

"Oh we know all about your _mission_ Tak." Red said to her. "Y-you do?" she asked stuttering in slight fear. "Yes, apparently that idiot Zim contacted us and told us that he had defeated you and stopped your plan." "But it was not my fault my Tallest." Tak told them. "He had help from…" "Humans, yes he told us." Red finished for her. "Tak the fact that you have failed to accomplish your mission and were bested by a defect, his retarded robot, and a couple of humans is proof enough that you cannot possibly be an Invader." "Yeah and you let him stop you from filling the planet with snacks!" Purple added in. "That's kinda what I'm talking about Purple." Red said to his co-Tallest. "Well yeah but I like snacks." Purple added. "Yes I know that. Anyway, Tak?" Red said to Tak. "Yes?" she replied fearfully. "You are hereby banished from Irk as of right now." Red told her. "You are to leave this ship immediately and never make contact with us again" he told her. She could not believe this was happening to her. "Do I make myself clear?" he asked her. "Yes" she said to them and left the room. "And guards bring us some snacks." Purple ordered as she walked out.

Back in space Tak was flying through the stars. However she wasn't just going through them aimlessly like she was before. No, she had a destination this time. It was a destination she knew she had to return to get her revenge: Earth. 'This is all Zim's fault. And those annoying pricks who helped him' She thought to herself. 'But,' she also added. 'I need to exact vengeance on one person who deserves it more than Zim.' She then brought up a holographic picture of a bespectacled large headed human with a long scythe of hair sticking out of the rest of his hairdo. 'I thought you'd be different Dib' she thought. 'After all the ridicule from your peers, I'd thought you'd want revenge. To destroy everything that they had created, I was hoping,' a tear then began going down her cheek. 'We could be together forever.' She then put the ship on autopilot and awaited her arrival on Earth. 'I'm coming for you Zim, and you too Dib' she thought before activating the ships cryogen system.

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A red light began to flash in the ship and the cryogen deactivated. Tak's PAK was then given a jolt of electricity to awaken her. When she fully regained an idea of where she was she looked out at the beautiful blue and green planet before her. 'Finally I've arrived.' Tak thought. However her small ships calendar attracted her attention. "What the hell!" she said in amazement. The calendar said it had been several years in Irken time. However only one year in human time. "Well no matter. It's time to exact my revenge" she said to herself. However when she tried to regain control of the ship she realized that the autopilot would not disengage. "What's the matter with this stupid piece of shit?" she asked no one in particular. She then realized that if she did not disengage the autopilot soon the Earth's atmosphere would pull her in and she would crash. "Disengage! Dammit disengage!" she shouted as she tried to deactivate the system. It was too late though. She felt the gravity begin to pull the ship in. She fastened he belt and prepared for the impact that would come.

Down on Earth in the city that Zim, Dib, and Gaz lived in Dib was busy looking through his telescope for any alien activity. Ever since Zim and he had become friends he had become less and less interested in the paranormal since he was, now best friends with something considered paranormal. However he didn't want to give up on the paranormal that easily and was busy checking the sky for paranormal activity. 'C'mon there needs to be some kind of paranormal activity out there' he thought to himself. 'I just need a sign. Anything at all.' However he saw what appeared to be a glinting in the sky. 'I wonder what that could be?' he thought. However it appeared to be growing and coming right for him. "Oh for Christ's sake not again" he muttered before the fireball crashed into their backyard sending him flying back from the shockwave sent out. "What the hell was that?" came Gaz's voice from inside the house. "I don't know Gaz." Dib replied.

He peaked over the edge of the roof and looked down into the yard. He couldn't see much at first due to all the smoke and fire. He decided a closer look was in order and quickly got down from the roof and ran to the site in the yard, he was quickly joined by Gaz who stood next to him in front of the crash site in their backyard. "What do you think it is?" she asked him. "I don't know. This is weird. The last time this happened was when Tak's ship crashed landed here a year ago." Dib said. However after the smoke cleared a little they could see it a little better. "Holy crap! It's another ship!" Dib exclaimed. He immediately jumped into the crater created by it crashing. "Dib you idiot! What do you think you're doing?" Gaz yelled at her brother. "It's okay Gaz" he assured her. "Uh, no it's not. That thing could be radioactive for all we know! And I don't want any weird irreversible shit happening to me!" she said to her brother. "It doesn't appear to be dangerous" he said. "It seems familiar somehow. Like I've seen it before." As he was saying this he got up to the cockpit. The glass on it was cracked making a spider web design on it.

He then wiped some of the dirt and grime off of it so as to see inside. He then jumped back in surprise. "Oh my God! Gaz get down here!" he said. His sister came down into the crater after him and stopped next to him. "What is it?" she asked him. "Look in the cockpit" he said to her and pointed to the ship. She walked over to the ship and looked in the cockpit. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed as she backed away from the ship. "It's Tak!" "I know. But she seems unconscious." Dib said as he walked over to the ship. "Gaz help me pry this fucking thing off the ship." Gaz and Dib then grabbed some debris and used it to pry the glass off. It came off with a pop and the two siblings peered inside. The ship was damaged pretty badly and Tak looked pretty bad. "Shit, she doesn't seem to good." Dib said as he looked at her. "Gaz help me get her out!" Dib commanded his younger sister. "Help get her out? Why? She tried to destroy humanity the last time she was here and as we both know that is _my _job." "Just get over here and help me with her." The two then carried her out of the ship carefully and the two carried her into the house placing her on their couch.

"We need something to stop the blood flow." Dib said as he looked over her. "Gaz call Zim we're going to need some help with this." Gaz stared at her brother in disbelief. "Call Zim? Dib he's not gonna help out, he hates Tak's guts and would rather watch her die." "Look Gaz, just call Zim, tell him we need his help." Gaz looked at her brother as he brought out some gauze and wrapped it around her various wounds. "Dib does this have anything to do with any feelings you might still have for Tak?" Dib blushed slightly as he finished applying gauze. "No, of course not I just don't want her to die is all" he lied through his teeth to her. "Whatever" she said as she went into the kitchen to contact Zim. "Don't worry Tak it's gonna be okay" he whispered to the unconscious Irken in front of him.

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'Oh my head. Feels like I had the Massive land on me.' Tak thought as she slowly and groggily awoke. 'Wait a minute. Where am I?' she questioned in her mind. 'This looks like…Oh please no.' She sat up and looked around quickly. She recognized this place. It was Zim's laboratory. 'What the hell am I doing here?' she wondered as she sat in the bed she occupied. "Hey Sleeping Beauty. How you doing?" She heard a familiar voice say. She turned to the source to see Dib sitting in a chair next to her. She jumped out of the bed and tried to activate her PAK's spider legs to attack him. However she felt no response and when she felt her back she realized her PAK was gone. "My PAK? Where is it?" she demanded/asked him. "It's been removed Tak." Dib told her. "Removed? Then why am I not deactivated?" Dib smirked. "Zim discovered that removing an Irken's PAK does not kill them. Instead it frees them officially from any stranglehold the Armada might have on a Invader" he explained to her.

"Why did you bring me here where is my ship?" "I brought you here because your ship crash landed in my backyard Tak. I hope that answers both of your questions." "Why did you help me out? Shouldn't you have left me to die after what I tried to do to your species the last time I was here?" "I just can't bring myself to see someone die when I could have stopped it." Dib responded. "Even if it's an alien?" Tak asked. "Even if it's an alien." She looked at him. "So you helped me?" "Yes." "You have changed a lot Dib Membrane. A year ago you would have exposed me for the alien I was. But now you'll help me? What happened to you?" "I changed Tak. A lot can happen to a person in a year that can change them. The same seems to have happened to you too, as I see the Tallest have banished you like they did to Zim." "How did you?" "I read it on your ships log before it died from the extensive damage done to it."

"What about my other technology?" "The technology I could find was mostly damaged beyond repair or operational. However I found very few operational ones." "Did Mimi survive?" Dib smiled at her. "See for yourself" he said before allowing a little red-eyed robot in. "Master?" it said to her before running over and hugging Tak. Tak hugged her back and looked over to Dib. "Thank you Dib" she said to him. "Your welcome Tak" he said before leaving the room.

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Shortly after the group grew to include Tak and Mimi and they all got along very well. She and Gaz turned out to be very good friends and the two hung out very much. Her feelings for Dib also grew which led her to the point in time where she was now. They were currently still passionately kissing each other in Dib's room until the two had to stop to catch a breath. "Wow Dib, you're a damn good kisser" she commented to him. "You're not to bad yourself" he said to the girl in his arms. "Um, Dib?" she asked. "Yeah?" "Do you really love me?" she asked him. He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Of course Tak" he assured her before the two went back to their heated make out session.

AN: Yeah! DATR goodness! And backstoryness, plus appearances by Skoodge, the Tallest, and The Resisty. I hope you all enjoy


	12. God Called In Sick Today: part 1

How To Totally Rock!

AN: Hello everybody! Welcome to yet another chapter of my little story which so many of you seem to enjoy. Your reviews have made me feel happy for what I'm doing and that people actually think I'm a good writer. I know it's not the same as getting a Newbury but you know what? Screw those guys you reviewers are the _real_ critics around here since you're not, you know, close minded idiots. I've also decided to split this chapter into two parts. About halfway through the story it'll switch to Tak's point of view. In the next chapter it'll switch to Dib's point of view for what happened to him. Enjoy, okay?

Disclaimer: The only things I own in this story are some songs and Marshall Nelson. That's about it.

Last Chapter Name: I AM GHOST song name

Chapter 12: God Called In Sick Today: Part 1

Dib was awoken by an annoying beeping noise coming from right next to him. He turned over and switched the alarm clock off. He stretched and looked over next to him. Tak was still asleep in the bed next to him after their "encounter" the previous night. It was amazing really, he was probably the first human on Earth to fall in love with and sleep with an alien. It really was amazing, but I won't get into detail on that (this is T rated guys P). Dib leaned over and kissed Tak on her cheek. She awoke immediately and smiled sleepily at her lover. "Time to wake up already?" she asked groggily. "'Fraid so Tak." Dib said to her.

He then got out of bed and slipped some pants on. Tak sat up in bed yawning and got out of bed herself. "Here." Dib said as he threw her some clothes to wear. "Thanks" she told him as she began to put the clothes on. Dib had put on a pair of jeans and a Boondock Saints t-shirt. Tak's clothing consisted of a pair of khaki's and a t-shirt with a clownfish with sad face, tear, and an emo haircut with the slogan "Finding Emo" below it. Afterwards Dib looked out into the hallway to see if the coast was clear. He certainly didn't want his sister and best friend to find out he and Tak had slept together. "Okay coasts clear Tak." Dib said to his new girlfriend. Luckily their rooms were right next to each other so she didn't have to go a long way. "I'll see you in a couple of minutes." Tak said to Dib. "Okay" was his response. She then left and got back to her room without being noticed. Dib then closed the door to his room and slumped against the wall. 'Man I can't believe we did that last night.' Dib thought. 'Who'd ever think that she'd be so…amazing too.' He smiled and leaned back. "I think that this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship." Dib said smiling.

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Zim awoke just a few minutes after Dib and Tak did. He stretched and got out of his bed. "It's time" he said to himself. He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out the most appropriate clothes he could think of for an occasion such as this, a Punisher t-shirt showing The Punisher double fisting two guns and standing in front of The Punisher Skull. To compliment this he wore a pair of camo cargos and a wristband that had the Slipknot logo on it. He looked himself over in the mirror. Something was missing though. Something that would make him look just _that_ much cooler and more fitting. "That's it!" he exclaimed and walked over to the desk in his room. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a bandana. He tied it around his neck turning it around so the tied end would be at the back of his neck and the rest hung down over some of his shirt. "Perfect" he said after giving himself a quick look over.

He walked out of his room and down the hallway where he ran into Dib who was just coming out of his room. He turned to his best friend coming down the hallway towards himself. "So I guess this is gonna be when the shit really hits the fan." Dib said to Zim. "Indeed it is Dib. Tonight the first true step towards our revenge plan will be executed" the alien told the boy next to him. "We're gonna hit 'em right where it hurts. And the best part? They have no idea that it's going to happen." Zim said. "Do you really think we're ready?" Dib asked his friend. Zim chuckled. "Of course we're ready Dib. We've been training for this for the past few weeks, there's no need to worry." Zim assured his friend.

"I know I'm just being cautious you know?" he said to Zim. Zim looked over to his friend with a look of slight concern in his face. "Dib, are you okay? You're acting kind of funny this morning." Dib looked over at his friend. Zim was right he was acting differently. Normally he'd have no problem doing something like this. But after he and Tak finally admitted their feelings for each other, he felt the sudden urge to be cautious. He knew he couldn't tell Zim this but didn't know what else to say. So he lied. "I'm fine Zim. I'm just kind of nervous is all." "Well don't worry Dib. We've been training all week so there's nothing to worry about. Dib stopped and looked down at the floor for a few seconds. 'That's what you think Zim' he thought to himself.

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The outside of the High Roller Casino was that of any other casino, large, elaborately decorated, neon signs, chalets, a huge fountain complete with sculpture in the middle, basically the works. It was one of the three casinos owned by Marshall Nelson, which were the three most popular casinos in the city. It was also the first target of the group for taking down the Nelson crime empire. A blue Dodge Viper rolled up to the entrance, and out of it stepped Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Tak. GIR and Mimi stayed back at the base to monitor them and help guide them through the mission. Zim handed the keys to the chalet at the door. "Don't scratch the paint" he told the red vested man. They walked into the casino and were astounded by the massiveness of it. They were able to get over how huge it was long enough for them to show their fake ID's to be allowed access. Once truly in, they began to wander looking for a back room or something to sneak into.

"Mimi, are you there?" Tak asked over her wrist communicator. "Yeah, I'm here." Mimi assured them over their communicators. "Where's the closest place we can get into the drug labs?" Zim asked. "There's one to the extreme left of your position. You can find a back room entrance there" she told them. They made their way there making sure to make it seem like they were just wandering around looking for a place to gamble. Nobody seemed to notice them, go back and they were able to slip in unnoticed by anybody. "Okay Mimi, we're in." Zim told her. "Good, now go down the corridor. At the end is an air vent. Go into it and stay sharp. No guards are coming but if any do you'll have to hurry."

They got to the end of the hallway and sure enough there was an air vent at the end. "Hurry up and get inside, there are guards coming." Mimi told them. Zim pried it off quickly and helped Gaz in first, then, Tak, and himself. Dib was the last to go and the guard was getting closer. "Hurry up Dib the guard's getting closer to your position." Mimi's voice rang in his ear. He jumped up to get in but realized he forgot to put the grate back in. "C'mon Dib." Zim said to him. "I have to get the grate" he said. He jumped back down and picked up the grate. He tried to jump back up but couldn't get enough height. "Zim, catch!" Dib said to Zim and tossed the grate up to the Irken. Zim caught it and Dib looked back. "Go on a head. I'll catch up." Dib told Zim before quickly jumping into a nearby room. Zim put the grate back on the opening. "Where's Dib?" Tak questioned Zim. "He's gonna go his own way and meet up with us later" he told her. "What?" she asked back in disbelief.

Tak's POV

I couldn't believe it. "What do you mean Dib's gone his own way?" I asked. It made no sense at all. Why did he do this? It didn't make any sense, none at all. "Tak he'll be fine. There's no reason to be worried." Zim assured me. "He's right Tak." Gaz agreed. "My brother can handle himself if need be." I looked down. I guess there's no way to change it so, might as well roll with it right? "Okay then let's move." Zim told us. We then began crawling through the vents when we got a transmission from Mimi. "Hey! Is everything okay? It says Dib has left you guys and is going a different route." Zim was the one to tell her what was going on. "He's decided to try and take a different route Mimi" he told her. "What! But why?" she asked. "The guard was coming he needed to get the grate back in and there wasn't enough time." Zim explained calmly as we crawled through the vents.

"And you guys are totally fine with this?" "We had no say in the matter apparently." "Well you do know he'll have to find his own way to where you're going without my help." "Yes Mimi, we do." "Okay then. Now keep going down the vent and make a right. I'll lead you from there." We spent the next 45 minutes or so crawling through the vent. It was a labyrinth of constant turns and backtracks. It confused Mimi even, which is partly why it took us so long. However when we reached the end we stopped. "Let me take a look." Zim told us. He peaked out into the room where we stopped. "Well what do you see?" I asked. "It's pretty freaking huge" he told us. "It looks like it's deserted" he continued. "Mimi? Do you know where this laboratory is in the casino?" Gaz asked. "You guys aren't gonna believe this but, that's not the actual lab."

"What do you mean Mimi?" I asked her. "It's only a sub-lab. The real one is underground. However there's an elevator at the end of the hallway outside of the lab. Enter it and go to the very bottom floor." We jumped out of the vent and went over to the door. Zim took a quick peek outside and signaled the coast was clear. We got to the elevator and made our way down. When we hit the bottom the doors opened up to reveal a large warehouse like area. It was even more massive than the casino above.

We got out and began making our way around. We had to be very sneaky and get through the area without being noticed and find Dib. Talk about a chore. It must've taken us an hour just to get from one end of the warehouse to the other. We had to be very careful not to get ourselves caught, which wasn't easy since there were guards and workers everywhere. One wrong move and we were toast. However when we _did_ get to the other side, we had to go through another air vent, as we didn't have a security card. We spent another ten minutes in it until we found the _exact _place where we were supposed to be.

When we did we peaked down through the grating. Below we could see another lab where a bunch of thugs could be seen with beakers and test tubes mixing and making drugs like heroin and crystal meth. According to Mimi, there was also a weed garden, a coke garden, and other labs to make PCP and amphetamines. Oh yeah, we hit the jackpot. It needed to be destroyed and immediately. As soon as the chemists left to let the chemicals boil in peace we got in. Gaz pulled some explosives out of her backpack and she and Zim went to setting them. I was the lookout making sure a guard or something came in on us. They got the bombs set and armed and we left the room. We made our way to each room planting the bombs. See all the rooms would have a set of two charges planted in them. Afterwards we would plant the detonator in the warehouse.

When activated the detonator would have a timer count down. We'd have to get our asses out of there as fast as fucking possible, because when the timer hits zero all the charges explode and then the detonator goes too with the biggest explosion of them all. After taking it out we'd do the same to each of the other casinos drug labs. We'd hit 'em right were it hurts and that's what we needed. After getting the last bomb planted we had to get back to the warehouse.

"Mimi, can you get a lock on Dib's position?" Gaz asked. "Yeah, just give me a minute" she told us. After a couple of minutes of waiting she reported back to us. "Guys. He's in the warehouse." Mimi told us. "Got it." Zim said. We headed out to the warehouse and closed in on Dib's position. "Mimi, we're here." I told her. "Is he there?" she asked us. We looked around, he wasn't there in fact no one was. "Mimi?" I called. "What?" she responded, "Dib isn't here." "Tak?" Zim called to me. I went over to Gaz and Zim. "What is it?" I asked them. "Look." Gaz said pointing to the ground.

It was Dib's tracking device. "Oh shit. Mimi! It's a trap! We've fallen into a trap. Are there any guards or anything on the screen?" I asked her. "No Tak, the screen shows you're the only people in there…no wait." "What?" Oh God. You're surrounded!" She called out to us. "I don't see anything." Gaz said as she pulled out her gun. Zim and I followed. It was true nothing was there. "I'm telling you. There are guys in there! They must be wearing stealth suits or something." "Meaning?" I asked afraid to hear the answer.

"Meaning they're invisible an closing in on you!" Mimi yelled at us. "What do we do?" Zim asked. "Run!" Mimi said. We did to the opposite end of the warehouse. If they were invisible though, why weren't they firing at us? I thought this over realizing it made no sense at all. We kept running till we got to the other side of the large area. We stopped dead in our tracks though when Mimi came back on over our communicators. "They're guarding the entrance to the labs! Oh God! There's no way out!" We looked around. We were trapped. 'How could this get any worse?' I thought. Just then though a man appeared on a platform above us. "Hello there" he called down to us. We looked up. "Who the fuck, are you?" Gaz bellowed at the man. "I'm Roger, the man who runs this establishment." We turned our guns on him. "Oh wouldn't do that if I were you" he said. Suddenly hundreds of soldiers appeared around us. "Not just because you're surrounded though. Oh no, no, no, no. But because I don't think you'd want to hurt him." We then saw Dib come out covered in blood being dragged by some guards. He was barely conscious and looked awful. "What do we do now?" Gaz asked.

To Be Continued…

AN: Sorry it's late this week. I got held up by some stuff and didn't get this finished till today. Well hope you like and look for the longer part 2 soon!


	13. God Called In Sick Today: part 2

How To Totally Rock!

AN: So the 13th chapter huh? Odd ain't it? A few months ago I never thought I'd be able to really do this. In fact this story was born from sheer boredom I was experiencing due to Internet withdrawal when we moved into this house. I first began writing it on paper but I never really got far and after school ended for summer vacation, I decided I wanted to begin really writing it. However I wasn't very motivated and it wasn't until late July that I began writing on the computer. Soon enough I was posting this sucker on this fine website and people were saying I was actually good! Now that is awesome for me. Anyway, I hope you now know a little more about this thing. Enjoy part 2!

Last Chapter (and this chapters) Title: AFI song name

Chapter 13: God Called In Sick Today: Part 2

Dib's POV

I jumped down to retrieve the grate and tried to jump back up to the vent. I couldn't get enough height holding the stupid grate. Yet at the same time I couldn't drop it. Realizing that the guard was getting closer and closer I decided the best course would be to split up from the group. I tossed the grate up to Zim, and told him, "I'll meet back up with you guys later." I then ducked into the room right next to me and waited until the footsteps stopped. I turned and looked at the room I was in. It appeared to be some sort of computer room. I wandered through it looking at all the computers. Most of them were off except one, which was left on some important document or something.

I decided to quickly read it and sat down at the computer. I skimmed through some of it before realizing that the others _had_ to see this. I had a copy printed out and when it was done stuffed it into my pack. I heard a noise right outside the door to the room and froze. The door on the other side of the room was opening. I dove underneath one of the desks. Luckily it was dark in the room and there no other lights on in the room except for the glow being cast by the computer monitor. I waited underneath the desk as the guy came into the room. He walked over to the desk and began printing out a copy himself as he waited over by the printer it hit me that I could use this guy to get some info on how to get to the others.

I quietly snuck out from underneath the desk I was hiding under and made my way up to the guy slowly. He obviously didn't hear me as I unsheathed my knife and moved up behind him. When I was within distance I grabbed him from behind and held the knife to his throat. "Alright cocksucker, I want some answers and I want them now!" I said to him. "And you better give me the answers I want or you'll be providing the wall with a new coat of paint called 'hint of arterial spray.'" The dude immediately began trembling and shaking in fear. "Alright, alright, I'll answer any question you want. Just please don't kill me" he begged.

"Alright. First question, what the hell is that document about." I asked gesturing towards the computer screen. "It's a document detailing Marshall's plans to rule the city." "Rule the city?" I asked. "Yeah, he's planning on assassinating the mayor on the 25th of July." "Where?" "At the benefit concert for him. He's a long time fan of punk music and has helped keep places like The Pit open when other people wanted to tear them down. The elections are coming up and he's doing this to gain favor with some of the voters." I realized that this was going to be something to look into. "Okay next question. Where is the closest entrance to the drug labs?" "I can't tell you that." I pressed the knife just a little bit into his neck. "Uh, hello dumbass. I'm the one who has your life in my hands. Do you want to live or not?" "Nothing you could do would come close to what Roger would do to me. Oh man, the stories I've heard of what does to people who betray him are enough to make you shit yourself in fear." "Who's Roger?" I asked him. "Roger's the guy who runs this place. He's one of Marshall's subordinates." "How many are there?" "Eight in all, one's in charge of something different in Marshall's empire. There's Roger, Chase, and Mitch who run the drug running in all the casinos. There's Tucker who runs the illicit porno and prostitution business, Craig and Ken run the gun smuggling, and the money laundering is handled by Howard and Ian."

"These guys are the subordinates huh?" I asked. "Anyone know anything about them besides their first names and what they're in charge of?" I inquired upon my hostage. "No, they're a mystery to everyone. Not even their men know anything about them." "Interesting, but I'd still like to know where the nearest entrance to the drug labs are." I said to him. "Well it'll take more than that knife to make me risk my life to tell you that" the guy told me. I realized that, in order to properly interrogate this guy I'd need something more…_intimidating_. So I sheathed the knife and decided to pull out a weapon Zim gave me. "Well then, will this make you change your mind?" I asked brandishing the gun in front of his face. "What is it?" he asked obviously scared again by the new weapon.

"It's a wonderful weapon really." I told him. "A single blast can destroy just about anything. Anything hit with this weapon will be slowly torn apart molecule by molecule. You will slowly disintegrate dying an agonizingly painful death." I could have sworn he dropped a load in his pants at this time as he just stared at the gun. "Okay, southwest corridor, end of hallway there's an elevator. Can't miss it." "Thank you." I told him before knocking him out. I hid the body in a storage closet in the room and peeked out into the hallway. The coast was clear so I made my way to the southwest corridor. Using some of my keen navigation skills I was able to make my way to the southwest corridor. I made my way to the end and saw an elevator door there. I reached it and hit the button. The doors opened and I stepped in. I pressed the button for the very last floor on the panel.

The doors closed and I felt it move down the shaft. I checked the various guns I had under my trench coat making sure they were all loaded and ready for action. Once I knew they were, I decided to pull out two Baretta's, clichéd I know but, cool looking and effective. As the elevator doors I realized that there was a guy right outside the elevator. Thinking quickly I jumped up and spread my arms and legs out in an x pattern so I could stay elevated above the floor. The guy must have noticed the empty elevator and decided to check it out. He entered it and just looked around in it. I dropped down behind him and broke his neck. I then dragged the body out of the elevator and hid it behind some crates.

Realizing somebody could still find it I used the disintegrating gun Zim gave me (which he called "The Obliterator") to vaporize the body. I then began making my way through the warehouse area. It was incredibly huge, so much so it was amazing they were able to build this thing at all. It looked like something out of a James Bond flick. I decided the best course of action would be to get to a high vantage point in the warehouse. I looked around and saw what appeared to be a guard tower of some sort. I decided to climb the ladder to get into it and look inside.

I slowly crept up to it and began climbing the ladder. Once at the top I slowly opened the trapdoor a crack and looked inside. Only one guard there so I took out my knife and slowly snuck up behind him. The dude didn't even know what was coming as the cold steel of the knife pressed itself against his neck and tore through it like a knife through butter. The dude grasped his throat making sick gurgling sounds as he collapsed into a pool of his own blood.

I then made my way over to the window in the guard tower and looked out into the entire area. I couldn't see anything of any interest really. No sign of anything of interest yet. I really should've been paying attention to the trapdoor though, because as I was looking out at the warehouse the trapdoor opened and the other guard came in. "Intruder!" he yelled. I spun around quickly as he began coming in and shot him causing him to fall back through the trapdoor screaming as he fell to his death. 'Oh shit!' I thought. Guards were suddenly swarming in on my location. I had to act fast, they were coming up the ladder and I needed to get out.

I pulled out a grappling hook gun and busted the window in the guard tower and fired the thing into a pillar near a stack of crates. I fastened the other end to the pole right outside the guard towers window. I grabbed the dead guards belt and wrapped it around the cable. I then zip lined down the cable hearing gunshots go off around me. I was so close to getting to the crates and my escape when I felt the cable snap and I swung right into the crates, knocking over several of them. I tried to get up after that but realized that my foot was stuck under some of the crates. I tried to pull free when I realized I was surrounded, and the last thing I remember was being hit in the face by the butt of a gun and everything going black.

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I woke up a little while later in what appeared to be a darkened room. I was standing but I realized my arms were raised involuntarily by a bunch of chains. I was very disoriented and felt light headed. My face also felt very wet, more specifically the area right below my nose. Obviously I had a bloody nose, which was still bleeding. I just wish somebody would turn the freaking lights on so I could see where I was. And almost as if someone read my thoughts, the lights went on at that moment. My eyes at first shut due to the sudden flooding of bright light into them. When I did open them it was still rather bright in the room. However my eyes adjusted to the light rather quickly and I saw I was in a room with red walls and a concrete floor.

Also in the room with me was a group of guards and a man wearing a business suit and dress pants. He had long black hair and wore sunglasses despite being inside. He was sitting in a chair so it was hard to gage how tall he was. I also couldn't really tell how old he was though I'd probably venture a guess that he was around 35 years old or so. "I see you're awake" he told me in a calm, collected voice that was cold as ice. "Who…the hell…are…you?" I breathed out barely as I found it very hard to speak and breathe at the present moment. The man smirked at me. "My name is Roger Dib, and I run this place."

"How do you know my name?" I choked out. Once again the man smirked. "Oh I know all about you Dib." "You're lying." Roger then pulled out a manila folder and opened it up. "Dib Membrane, age 17, date of birth June 3rd, 1989, grade point average 4.0, occupation student/clerk at the Video Outhouse. Your profile says you were born to Dr. Robert Membrane and Mrs. Catherine Membrane. It also says here you were the first of two children with a younger sister named Gaz. It also says your mother died when you were 9 and you had been obsessed with the paranormal up until about 4 years ago." I was stunned beyond all belief. How did they know all this about me? Roger continued reading though and I was shocked even more.

"I really like this part though. It says here that, 5 years ago a new student came to your class and you claimed he was an alien. The other members of your class didn't believe you due to their being sick of you claiming things that happened that were "paranormal" but having no evidence to show. You constantly tried to prove how correct you were but could never quite expose him for the alien he was. And yes Dib we do know he's an alien. Not all of us are stupid despite what you may be led to believe. In fact what I find really surprising is how easily you befriended him. I mean two worst enemies becoming best friends that fast? What the fuck is this world coming to?"

I was getting worried now. This guy knew everything, and I mean _everything_, about me. What did he know about the others? Did he know about our plans to take down Marshall's empire? "I think that this part is funny yet quite disturbing." Roger said. My heart stopped beating for a brief second, as I knew what was coming next. "It says here that shortly after you befriended Zim another Irken crashed landed on Earth. You had met her before back when she tried to take over this planet and get rid of Zim. Tak was her name and you had developed a crush on her, which lasted even when she tried to wipe out the human race. She apparently felt the same way and you two have finally admitted your feelings for each other and then had sex. Aw, young love is so sweet ain't it?"

I was feeling a combination of fear and loathing for this man. He was mocking me and scaring me, obviously trying to get me unnerved enough to give him answers to questions he had yet to ask. "Why the hell do you care for any of this?" I demanded of him now being able to talk better. He smiled this evil smile, which could scare Mike Myers shitless. "I think I'll kill her first. Painfully slow and you'll have to watch helplessly." I pulled with all the strength I had in me on the chains trying to break free.

"You bastard! You harm her and I'll tear your goddamn head off!" I screamed at that son of a bitch. He laughed at me though. "Well maybe I'll spare her if you'll tell me where the others are!" said to me. "Go choke on a dick!" I told him. "Oh! Quite the potty mouth! Do you kiss you mother with it? Oh that's right. You can't cause she's fucking dead!" he said with a sick laugh. I was pissed now. I wanted to cut this guy open, rip out his intestines, and strangle him to death with them.

"Well if you won't tell us the easy way. We'll have to go with the hard way." He then walked over to me. "I can make you talk boy. But you're not going to like how I do it." I spit in his face and he wiped it off. He smirked, "Feisty, aren't we? Well, I'll cure that!" The next thing I knew my head swung to the side from a strong blow from this guy. Jesus! This guy hit hard! I wasn't prepared for the next punch or the next. Though even if I was it wouldn't make much difference due to me being tied up and all. After awhile my face was a bloody mess. "Ready to talk now?" He asked. "I've felt old ladies hit harder than that!" I told him.

He smiled wickedly. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to hurt you more!" he said. He then kicked me in the gut, which I was not expecting. While the pain spread through me he unchained me from the wall and threw me to the wall. He then pulled out one of those retractable batons. I saw it and tried to get up but he bum rushed me and smacked me along side the head with it. I fell over and he smacked me in the back with it. I continued to try and get up but he kept smacking me with that freaking baton. I tried to get up again and he kicked me in my stomach again! I still hadn't gotten over the first blow to my gut.

"Get up" he told me. I was gripping my stomach and could barely move. "I said get up fuckhead!" he bellowed at me. I still lay there trying to regain some strength. "I SAID GET UP GODDAMNIT!" he then yelled and grabbed me, picking me up and throwing me into the wall. I could have sworn by now I had several broken ribs. Maybe some other bones were broken, I really couldn't tell what was broken and what wasn't. It felt like my entire body had been filled with broken glass and it was shredding me apart from the inside. "Now, are you ready to talk?" he asked me. I was slipping in and out of consciousness. I realized that if I didn't do something quick I'd die.

Just then though a guard entered the room. "Sir! We have discovered some other intruders!" he told Roger. "Good, let's go introduce them. And set a trap for them. And send the stealth soldiers." He looked down at me on the floor. "Bring him with us too. I think he'd enjoy seeing our other guests one last time before their deaths." Two guards came over and hoisted me up, dragging me along. After a little while I realized the guards had dragged me out onto a platform where Roger was talking to someone. I looked to where he was speaking. I saw Zim, Gaz, and Tak there completely unharmed except for being surrounded by soldiers. I saw Tak looking up at me, and a horrified look spread across her face. I was quickly losing consciousness and the last thing I heard was Roger laugh and say "Kill them."

AN: Yeah, yeah I said there would be action in this chapter but it's late enough as it is and I haven't been feeling well lately. Well whatever, hope you enjoyed. Oh, and Happy Halloween!

Written to: The Misfits, The Murderdolls, Slipknot, Metallica, Testament, Iron Maiden, Love Equals Death, AFI, and Tsunami Bomb


	14. The Invasion From Within

How to Totally Rock!

AN: Wheee, another chapter in my story! I really enjoy writing this thing. The fact that people like this thing makes my brain squee with joy. Thanksgiving is going to be coming up soon and after that the Christmas season is gonna bitch slap us right in the face. Nothing like millions of moms across the country practically killing each other just to get the latest toy for their kids ya know? Anyway, enough with that, time for the chapter!

Disclaimer: Do I even _need_ to write one of these blasted things every time I post a new chapter! I mean really! You should know I don't own anything Zim related. So piss off!

Chapter 14: The Invasion From Within

The group was surrounded and had no way of escaping at all. Dib looked like crap and obviously didn't seem to be doing that well. "What do we do now?" Gaz asked. "I don't know." Zim told the girl with him. "Well isn't this touching?" Roger said to the group. "You're all here once again as a big group. Too bad I'll have to kill you all." He then laughed a big evil laugh. Tak stared at Dib and realized just how terrible he looked. His face was covered in blood, he had a black eye, his t-shirt was smeared in blood, as were his pants. Her faces expression saddened even more when she noticed him feebly look up at her.

It was unbearable to look at and she felt a tear come to her face. Roger then smirked. "Kill them" he told his men. "But sir I thought you wanted to keep them alive long enough to interrogate them." Roger grabbed his henchman by the collar and dragged him over. "I do you stupid pile of shit. I just want to see if they really are as intimidating as Marshall has reported them to be." His henchman went over to the railing. "Open fire!" he shouted to them. The soldiers readied their guns and opened fire on the group. "Wait! Cease fire! Stop you freaking idiots!" Roger yelled at them. They did as was commanded. Astonishingly, the three were no longer in the area where the gunshots were pelting.

"Where did they go!" the henchman next to Roger asked with a touch of worry in his voice. Zim's voice could suddenly be heard by them, "The only people dying tonight are you guys. Oh and if you plan on praying to God for deliverance, don't bother. God called in sick today!" Suddenly one of the soldier's heads exploded like a watermelon struck with a bottle rocket. Another screamed in pain as he split in two. And yet another seemed to be ripped apart by machine gun fire from nowhere. "What the hell is going on sir?" the henchman asked Roger. "What's going on is a spectacle of blood letting I've never before witnessed. My appetites been piqued, I want to see what else they have to show before moving on to the main course." Roger told him.

Zim, Gaz, and Tak were slaying soldiers left and right at an amazingly fast rate. It was an amazing spectacle like something out of The Matrix, or a video game, or an anime. Gaz had slain several of them in quick succession with her machine guns. She took cover behind a pillar and leaned out to the side shooting several of them. She then took cover again as they continued the fire but this time with renewed vigor. "Screw this" she said as she pulled a grenade out. She pulled the pin out and threw it out at the group of guards. An explosion and screams were heard as the thing went off. Gaz then went back to taking care of the other guards.

Tak was doing really good too. She had originally been using a tactical 12 gauge shotgun. However that proved to be rather cumbersome only allowing her to hit close range targets with any major success. She had instead switched to two Desert Eagle's for maximum efficiency. She was currently jumping from crate stack to crate stack, shooting guys below her. She eventually jumped down to ground level and found a bunch of guys coming up after her. She flipped into the air twisting her body around as she shot down at the guys as she went over them. They dropped down on the ground dead as could be. "This is too easy" she muttered.

Zim was of course doing extremely well himself. He had yet to use any of his guns instead using his katana and some shuriken he had fashioned from the same metal he had fashioned his katana blade out of. They were quite effective, as he had dropped several of the guards with them. Plus as an added bonus they were reusable unlike the bullets in their guns. He had decimated, eviscerated, decapitated, and…something else with ated to them. Either way he killed a lot of people. He was currently in the middle of dicing up some bastards with the finesse of a Japanese swordsman. As he was doing this, a guard came up behind trying to get the best of him. Without even looking he flipped his sword over and rammed it backwards into the guy behind him.

He threw a shuriken into another dude's forehead causing him to fall off the walkway he was on. He then spun around and came face to face with another guard. The guard looked terrified beyond belief. "Boo!" Zim said to him before cutting him vertically in half. He then saw some guys on the walkway overhead. "I think I'll have some fun upstairs" he said. He threw several shuriken in quick succession into the nearby wall creating some steps, which he ran up and jumped off of onto the walkway.

Several of the guards then ran up to Zim. "Kill him! We can't let him get to boss!" one of the guards yelled at the others. Zim smirked and spun around twirling his katana around before throwing it into the chest of one of the guys coming at him. He then jumped onto him pulling the katana out and rebounding off. He then cut a guys arm off with him screaming in pain and silenced him by shoving his katana through the guys open mouth. He tore it out and cut another guy into several itty, bitty bite sized pieces. He kicked another guy off the walkway where the guy landed headfirst dieing on impact with the hard concrete floor.

Gaz who was currently on the same level as Zim was doing her best "Matrix" imitation as she ran along a nearby wall flipping off of it and shooting several guards with a sub-machine gun. She landed diving again firing at several more guys. She slid right next to Zim jumping to her feet and quickly reloading her gun. "This seems a bit easy to me" she told Zim. "I know" he agreed with her. "It's as if these guys are only being thrown at us for a show of some sort." Gaz said. "Like we're just playing the parts of gladiators in an arena of blood." Something clicked in Zim's head after Gaz said this.

"That's because it is a game Gaz." Zim told her. "We're being used by Roger so he can see how strong we are." Gaz growled, "Nobody uses me!" she declared. "We need to find Tak." Zim told Gaz. "Tell me something I don't know!" she yelled back as they were besieged by gunfire. Luckily the guns stopped as Tak stepped in. The guards fell down dead from gunshot wounds delivered by the Irken female. "Right on time." Zim said to Tak. "You guys should know I'm always on time" she stated to them while slinging her gun over her shoulder. "Not always, but whatever." Gaz said to her.

They then heard clapping coming from behind them. They turned around to see Roger clapping his hands behind them on the walkway overhead. "Very good. It seems you have exceeded my expectations" he told them. "You asshole! Where's Dib!" Tak shouted at him. "Oh don't worry your boyfriend is safe." Tak was seething, "He's not my boyfriend!" she yelled at him. "Oh really? You two aren't in love?" he asked her. Tak was blushing at that moment and was having trouble finding the right words to say. "Of course not! We're just friends!" she said to him. Roger smirked. He then snapped his fingers and the guard who gave the order originally came in dragging Dib alongside him.

Dib had since regained consciousness and was struggling to keep conscious. He saw everyone still there and alive. He smiled, happy to know his sister, best friend, and new girlfriend were safe from harm. 'Thank God they're okay' he thought as he looked at them. Roger walked over to Dib and turned back to Tak, "Now Tak, you tell me you don't love this boy. Do you truly mean it, or are you just saying it so your friends don't discover your true feelings that you seem to be so eager to suppress?" he asked her. Tak stared up at him and was unsure on how to answer him.

Roger, agitated by her silence, pulled a pistol out and stuck it to Dib's head. "Do you truly love him, or not? Answer the fucking question!" he shouted at her. "And answer truthfully or this boys head will have a new hole in it." Realizing she was backed into a corner she couldn't escape from, Tak had no choice. "I do love him!" she shouted at him. "Is that the truth?" he asked her. "Yes" she told him. Roger smiled cruelly, "Good answer" he said to her. Then without warning he turned his gun on her and fired. Tak was taken totally by surprise as she felt a bullet pierce her chest. She fell back collapsing on the floor hard. Dib's eyes bulged as he saw his love get shot and collapse to the floor.

"Now that she's out of the way I think I'll kill you two next!" Roger yelled at them from above. He then jumped from the walkway, which was suspended at least 50 feet from the ground landing on the hard concrete floor with a crunch. However the crunch was not his leg bones breaking but the concrete floor beneath him cracking, creating a crater and sending splinters of concrete flying into the air. Gaz and Zim stared wide-eyed at the guy in front of them. He had just jumped from a height of 50 feet and landed on his feet and instead of breaking his legs, broke the concrete.

"What the hell are you?" Gaz asked the man who had still yet to get up from his crouched position. He stood up slowly grinning as he did so. "I'm human, just like you" he said still grinning. "That's impossible! Humans can't do that!" Zim shouted this time. "Correction you idiotic pest. _Most_ humans can't do that. However I'm not like most humans. You see I have been imbued with strength, agility, speed, and intelligence most people only dream of. I was a test subject for a special chemical called "Deep Black". An odd chemical indeed, it was devised by scientists to make soldiers stronger and more capable fighters. Imagine something a whole squad of troops being able to accomplish in a few days, being accomplished by one soldier in a few hours. Amazing really. The government though shut down the experiment due to some test subjects becoming rebellious or going insane and because they were afraid of other people like the Iraqis or the North Koreans getting their hands on it." He paused for a while, smirking at the memories that were flooding back to him.

"After the government ordered it to be destroyed, Marshall ordered that some of it be sent to him. People refused at first until he threw some money their way of course. Afterwards he was able to get both a good supply of it and was able to hire some of the scientists who made the stuff to work for him. He then began secretly making the stuff to use on some of his subordinates. However he needed the right people so he devised several tests for some of us. Those who succeeded were given a role in his empire running a certain one of his operations. Afterwards, to make sure he had powerful men as his subordinates he injected all of us with Deep Black. We became invincible. So much so that he had to put several of us in control of the same operations just so we wouldn't get any ideas of who was more important."

Roger was walking around now as he was saying this. He was circling around Gaz and Zim like a wild animal stalking its prey. "In short, I'm a very dangerous and powerful man. One you should not cross unless you have a death wish. Which, considering what you've been doing here, I think you do. Allow me to fulfill that wish." And within the blink of an eye he was in between them and threw a punch out at both of them knocking them both several feet away from where they originally stood.

When they landed they were really shaken up. "What the hell?" Zim said to no one in particular. Gaz jumped to her feet and looked around. "Where did he go?" she said as she looked around. Roger wasn't anywhere to be found at all. He had simply vanished into thin air. "Okay, this isn't good." Zim said, as they looked around guns ready. "He's either hiding somewhere else, or invisible." Gaz reasoned with the Irken boy. "But which is it?" asked Zim. "Neither" a voice said as Roger reappeared in front of Zim and kicked him clear across the room. He turned to Gaz and within a split second had gotten in front of her and had kicked her across the room too.

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As all this was happening Dib watched in horror as his best friend and sister were getting their asses handed to them. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that he had to watch helplessly as his girlfriend was slowly dying in front of him and he couldn't do anything about it. As all this was happening though, he felt something weird going on in his body. Like something was coming undone or a beast of some sort was being unleashed. He suddenly went very limp and the guy holding him looked down at him with a puzzled look on his face. "Hey! You can't die yet! You still have to watch your friends suffer more!"

Roger was now standing over Gaz and Zim with a sick and twisted smile on his face. "Looks like you guys are all outta juice. Too bad, I was hoping you'd give me more satisfaction in killing you. But I guess we can't always get what we want now can we?" he said to them. There was a scream and Roger turned to look where it came from. Suddenly a ball of twisted flesh and organs fell to the floor with a sickening splat. "What the fuck?" Roger asked. He looked up at the walkway. Zim and Gaz also looked up to see what did that. What they saw amazed them. Dib was standing on the walkway and glaring down at Roger.

At least that's what he must have been doing. It was really hard to tell due to the fact were now a bright red and his physical appearance had also changed a bit more than just eye color. The scythe of hair on his head was now longer and was a blood red color. His coat for some reason had changed too. It was now tattered and resembled a cape more than a coat. "Oh crap!" Roger said. "Is that Dib?" Zim asked. "What happened to him?" Gaz stared at her brother. Something weird had done this. But what was it? Whatever it was, it didn't seem dangerous, at least not to them anyway. To Roger on the other hand, well that was a different story.

Dib then jumped from his perch on the walkway railing and landed on the concrete floor shattering it in the same way Roger did. Dib stood up and stared directly at Roger. Roger was sweating bullets as Dib stared him down. "You…you're…" Roger stammered to Dib. "Yes, a Deep Black subject too." Dib finished for Roger. "No, it can't be that was just a rumor." "Sorry Roger but it's indeed true. I too have been treated with Deep Black. I didn't know that though until just recently. It seems me seeing you shooting my girlfriend and beating the crap out of my best friend and little sister stirred something inside of me allowing me to release the powers given to me from the chemical." Dib explained.

"And guess what? I'm gonna kill you now!" Dib said shortly before vanishing in an instant. The next thing Roger knew he was hit up alongside the head and flew right through the wall. He got up from the rubble and looked around. Dib was gone. At least he was until he appeared in front of Roger and grabbed him by the collar, throwing him through the wall again. Roger skidded across the ground and got up to fight but was hit by Dib again. Dib then picked him up and threw him into the air jumping up and hitting him higher into the air. He hit Roger again, knocking him up higher. He hit him higher, and higher. Finally when he was high enough Dib appeared above him and delivered a kick to Roger's chest sending him flying with brutal force and speed into the concrete floor creating a massive cloud of dust, which blinded everyone for a short while.

When the dust settled, there was a massive crater in the floor Roger lay in it beaten and broken but not dead. Dib appeared in the crater with him and walked over to him. "There'll be others" he breathed out to Dib from behind his now broken sunglasses. "I don't care." Dib responded. He then brought his foot up and brought it down on Roger's face with a loud splat as his blood spattered all over Dib's face.

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Zim and Gaz were now standing as Dib jumped out of the crater. "Dib? Are you okay?" his sister asked him. He didn't answer still having the same appearance he did when he first began fighting Roger. He walked over to Tak's motionless body and picked it up gently. He cradled her body in his arms, as he looked her over. "Dib?" Gaz said to him. "She's still alive" he said suddenly. "But she's dying. We need to get back to Zim's base quickly if we're going to save her." He turned to them. "Dib, what's going on?" Gaz asked him. "I'll tell you later" he told his sister. "Zim!" "Yes." Zim said to Dib. "Place the detonator. And set it for ten seconds." Zim's eyes practically popped out of his head. "Ten seconds! Do you have the brain worms! That's suicide." Dib looked down at Tak's motionless body. "I'll get us out in time" he said to the other two simply.

"Okay." Zim said. He then produced the bomb and set the timer. Dib walked over to them still holding Tak. "As soon as you activate it grab onto me" he ordered the other two. Zim and Gaz nodded. Zim hit the activation button and the two latched onto Dib. Suddenly they disappeared. The timer ticked down: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. A beep was heard as all the charges in the labs exploded at once and the detonator did shortly after. Above ground in the casino the whole building shook briefly. "What was that?" a patron asked. "Was it an earthquake?" another asked completely oblivious to the real reason.

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Mimi and GIR were looking at the screen in the base. "Where did they go?" Mimi asked. "They disappeared!" GIR said quietly. "OOOHHH! Maybe they is in another dimension or something." Mimi tried her best not to giggle at the little robot. "GIR, this is serious. We don't know where they are. They just disappeared and the place blew up a few seconds later." Suddenly sirens began blaring and the computer warned, "Intruder alert! Intruders on the premises!" GIR and Mimi went to see who it was and were surprised to see the group in the base already. "What happened and what's wrong with Tak?" Mimi demanded of them. "Later Mimi." Gaz said to the female SIR unit. Mimi noticed something strange about Dib's appearance as he went by though.

They got Tak to the Medical Bay immediately and Computer said he would take care of the surgery so Zim could rest. Dib left his love to be operated on as he and the others left the room. "Now Dib." Gaz said as they left the room. "Could you please tell me what's going on?" Dib sighed. "I might as well. But I don't think you're gonna be thrilled about it."

AN: Yep, another cliffhanger people. I hope you liked this chapter. I got the inspiration behind it from Naruto and Trinity Blood two _extremely _awesome anime. Well hope you liked it. And remember, read and review!


	15. Rise Above

How To Totally Rock!

AN: OOOO! You guys seemed to really react positively to the previous chapter. What's funny is that I never expected the story to turn out this way. See I never planned this thing out ahead of time. I'm just sorta making it up as I go. I originally was going to make this thing a comedy as seen by the first few chapters. However when I got to the contest chapter I thought I'd throw a few dark thematic elements into the story. I then realized I was doing a better job with the action/adventure genre on the website than the humor one for my first fic. Oh don't worry, there's obviously still some humor in this story. And I still have a few ideas for humor fics in the future. In fact I'm working on a Teen Titans songfic, which parodies the over used sub-genre of "Teen Titans start a band." It'll obviously be set to the Reel Big Fish song "Don't Start a Band." Anyway, that's all I gotta say. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Oh magic 8-ball, do I own Invader Zim? All signs point to no.

Last Chapter Name: Tsunami Bomb song name

Chapter 15: Rise Above

Gaz, Zim, and Dib were sitting down in a room in Zim's base. They were quiet and the silence was very unsettling. It had been silent since they first entered the room ten minutes ago. Nobody said anything at all to anybody despite Dib's saying he would explain everything to the others. Gaz was getting sick of the silence and decided to show the others how sick she was. "For God's sake! I can't take anymore of this frickin' silence! Dib are you going to tell us what's going on with you or not?" Dib, who had returned to his normal appearance since he and the other two entered the room, decided that he might as well tell them the truth.

"Okay, I will. But like I said you will probably really hate what I'm about to say" he told them. "I don't care Dib." Gaz responded. "I want to know just what the hell's going on." Dib sighed. "Okay, here we go. As you know I said I was treated with Deep Black. Well I didn't always know this. In fact I didn't discover this until just recently. When I unleashed my powers I suddenly had all these memories flood back to me. They must have been suppressed or something as these memories were, new. I didn't even know they were mine until I saw myself in several of them. It turns out that shortly after I was born I caught an incurable and rare disease. I didn't have very long to live. However, Dad found out about the healing properties of Deep Black and decided to try and inject some into me. Mom objected at first due to it being so risky. However, Dad was able to convince her that it was necessary if I was to survive."

"The night came when I was to be injected. I was 1 at the time and still unaware of everything. Dad had everything set up in his home laboratory. He brought me down to the lab and stuck the needle right into me. At first all it did was just kill the disease. However, shortly after you were born later that year Gaz, I began showing strange symptoms of unusual intelligence for someone my age. I was able to form complete sentences only a day after I said my first word. I could do simple math at two. It was incredible. I was also immune to any and all diseases after that. I was also able to heal from any wound at a much faster rate than the normal human. However, this along with my obsession with the paranormal made kids brand me a "freak". I was also beginning to have strange nightmares and the memories of being injected, which somehow had been burned into my mind despite being so young when it happened, were putting a great deal of stress on me. Dad decided to give me a special kind of therapy, which would suppress my memories of it all and what I went through shortly afterwards and replace them with fake ones."

Zim and Gaz sat silent and shocked so far. Totally speechless as Dib recounted the memories he had regained. Dib continued with the tale with a forewarning of, "This is where you come into this Gaz." "I then lived a normal life after that. I still had my amazing intelligence and love of the paranormal, which earned me teasing by other kids, but I still managed to live a relatively normal life. Then, _it_ happened…the accident, which killed Mom. We were visiting Dad in his lab, I was 10, and Gaz, you were 9 remember?" Dib asked actually saying something to one of the two people in the room for the first time. "I do remember actually." Gaz said to her brother.

"Well what you remember is most likely a fabrication, at least some of it. When we visited Dad that day he was working on something "new and revolutionary" as he said. We were never really told what it was but we knew it probably was what he claimed it to be. One reason we couldn't see it was because it was very unstable and it could explode if not careful. Unfortunately, some guy broke in wanting to steal whatever it was he was making. He was stopped but he accidently dropped what he was carrying. It exploded and I was knocked out. When I woke up I was in the hospital. Dad was next to me in my room. I asked him what happened in the lab. He told me there was an explosion and that I just barely survived. I asked him where you were Gaz and he said you were in the room next door. I then asked him where Mom was and I noticed tears begin to form in his eyes. I still remembered him quietly saying, "She's dead son." I don't think at any point in time before that moment I felt such a mixture of sadness, anger, and confusion in my life. I couldn't believe what was being said to me. I asked how it happened and he told me she tried and shielded Gaz and me from the blast. He said she was stabbed through the heart by a piece of shrapnel, dying instantly."

Dib paused for a moment trying to hold back the tears that were beginning to well up in his eyes. He began again after choking back some sobs that were about to overcome him. "I asked him how you were doing Gaz, and he told me you weren't doing so well. He said you were injured worse than I was in the explosion than I was. He said you had piece of shrapnel pierce your one lung. However the wound had become infected and you were dying. He said they'd try their best to save you and were going to try a "special treatment." He didn't tell me what it was but I couldn't stand the thought of losing both my mother and little sister in the same day. Later that night when Dad was gone I went to see you in your room. However when I got there I noticed that the door was ajar slightly so I peaked in. What I saw was Dad standing over your bed holding a syringe and a vial containing a weird black liquid. I saw him fill the syringe and inject it into you. I snuck back to my room to think over what I saw. I figured it was just the "special treatment" Dad was talking about earlier. I decided to not question it and when I heard you had recovered I was ecstatic."

"A few weeks later we had Mom's funeral at the local cemetery. That was the last time I ever saw Dad show his true face. The next day he began wearing those goggles and that high brimmed coat both of which hid most of his face. That's also when you of course began pushing everyone away Gaz. You were never the social person but after that you became incredibly anti-social and misanthropic. You began shutting yourself off to the world around you in hopes that you wouldn't have to suffer like that again. We both became the two biggest outcasts in school, but life went on. One day however, about one week before Zim came to Earth, I was digging in Dad's labs looking through some files to find some info on a chemical he was developing. That's when I found a file labeled: Dib and Gaz Membrane. My curiosity got the best of me and I looked inside. What I found were papers documenting our behavior over the years and some photos and x-rays. I was freaked out about what I found, stuff detailing amazing strength, immunity to disease, great intelligence. It said we were both injected with "Deep Black" which, at the time, I had no idea what it was."

"However, I saw something else that unnerved me. It said that under amazing amounts of stress, sadness, and/or anger, the Deep Black in us would be triggered causing us to transform as was seen tonight. It also said that the transformations could be controlled and done at will but only after mastering them. I was freaked out and immediately put the file away and went back to my room to think it over. It haunted me every night until just recently. I now understand the effects it has on me since I have now experienced them first hand. However, I also remember there being something about the both of us having powers that went along with the transformation, something along the lines of telekinesis, telepathy, hypnosis, mind control, and the ability to summon special weapons of some sort. I still need to do some research on it as I don't know the full details. But that's about it."

Zim and Gaz were speechless. All this information was a lot to take in for them. However, Gaz was the first one to speak. "Wait. So you're telling me that I can do that cool transformation thing too?" she asked Dib. "Well yeah you can" he told her. Gaz was silent before a grin spread across her face. "That is so freaking awesome!" she said ecstatically as she jumped out of her seat. Dib sighed, "I knew you'd react like that" he said. "Why wouldn't I? I mean c'mon. I've always dreamt of having powers like that and it turns out I do." Gaz was saying this excitedly as Dib and Zim looked at her. "Um Gaz, I think you should calm down a tad." Zim said to her. She then realized how much of an ass she was making of herself and sat back down. "Thank God no one else saw that" she said.

"Well anyway, I think we should try and learn to harness these powers. After our charade at the drug labs under the High Roller Casino, the others will probably be expecting us. Our powers should give us an advantage in the next few missions." Dib told Gaz. However, right after he told her this he remembered something. "Zim, what day is it?" "Uh, Monday?" "No dumbass, what day of the month is it?" "Oh, it's July 20th." Dib blanched. "Dib, what is it?" Gaz asked her brother. "I forgot to tell you guys this but in five days, Marshall and his goons are planning on assassinating the mayor at the benefit concert on the 25th. I found this out while I was split up from you guys."

"Than that means we'll have to put going after the other guys later. Our first order of business will be stopping them from killing the mayor." Zim said. "We will have to begin preparing for this tomorrow." Dib got up and walked over to the door. "I'm gonna go check up on Tak" he told them. He left the room leaving Gaz and Zim by themselves. "Zim?" Gaz said. "Yeah?" "I didn't say this to Dib but, I'm actually kind of scared of this transformation thing I have. I mean what if I go insane or something during a transformation? I don't want to end up hurting the people I care for while in some transformed state." Gaz told him.

Zim looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Don't worry Gaz. You're one of the strongest people I know. If anything you'll be able to take control of it and use it well with no problem at all" he told her. Gaz looked at Zim and smiled. "Thanks Zim" she told him. "No problem Gaz." Zim replied. The two then sort of looked at each other for a minute. Zim and Gaz began to lean in close to each other, their lips only a few inches away. Suddenly, they were interrupted by Dib's voice over the intercom. "Guys get here quick, it's important" he told them.

The two separated from each other. They both quickly looked away from each other, embarrassed about what they almost did. "Sorry about that Zim." Gaz said to him. "Uh, yeah me too." Zim responded. They both then made their way to the medical bay without saying a word. When they got there Dib was sitting down next to Tak who was now conscious and holding her head. "What's the problem?" Zim asked when they got into the room. "Is it Tak?" Gaz asked. Dib looked up at the others. "No, Tak's fine now. No what's serious is that when I dropped Tak off to get fixed up, I also gave Computer some of my blood so he could analyze it so we can learn more about the affects Deep Black has." "Well what did you learn?" Zim asked. Dib let out a deep sigh and scratched the back of his head. "Well I found a little more on what Deep Black can do. It can also apparently allow a person to go extended periods of time without food, water, and sleep for one thing. But I also learned something…peculiar." "What?" Dib took his glasses off and wiped them on his shirt. "I found out that the person Dad got the Deep Black from was…well…" "It was Marshall Nelson." Tak interrupted.

AN: Dun, dun, dun! Yet another chapter finished. I don't know though, I'm on a love/hate relationship with this chapter. I feel happy about it in some places and not so happy in others. But whatever, I hope you enjoy. Oh, and expect more action in the next few chapters. Peace out!


	16. Take This Oath

How To Totally Rock!

AN: So yeah, I think that the last chapter was definitely one of the lesser ones in the story. But anyway, I've decided to go the route of some other writers and address my umm…3 adoring fans. So here we go:

geminidragon76: Yes, I do take a lot of my inspiration from cult and B movies like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill vol. 1 and 2, Boondock Saints, and many other films of their ilk, and anime, lots and lots of anime, more specifically Gungrave, Naruto, Trinity Blood, and Cowboy Bebop. And don't worry about the ZAGR stuff. There'll be lots of it in upcoming chapters.

Zantor7: I'm glad you always look forward to the next chapters of my story. Thanks for your support!

Invader Sideos: You've been the guy who's given me the most support (rivaled only by the other two people I've thanked above). Thank you very much!

That's it for this chapter, so on with story!

Disclaimer: You should know the drill by now.

Last Chapter Name: Black Flag song name

Chapter 16: Take This Oath

Three days had passed since Dib's revelation to the others about the source of the Deep Black that was inside of his little sister and he. It had made him very…upset to say the least. He became distant to all the others barring Tak who he confided in and who promised to not tell the others what he told her. He didn't seem to do much except train for their upcoming mission, research Deep Black, and spend time with Tak. However, on this particular day, he told Gaz he was going to pay their dad a visit. He said he wanted answers on the whole Deep Black issue and wanted them _now_.

Gaz didn't stop him as he left Zim's base where they were still staying to go see their father. He exited Zim's house on ground level and stepped outside. It had been awhile since the last time he had been outside during the day. He took a deep breath of the air and looked around. Everything was so…peaceful. It was a rare moment recently for him to be in such a peaceful environment. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to enjoy it. He had a somewhere he needed to be and needed to be immediately.

He walked over to his car, which he had parked in front of Zim's house. He got into it and started it up and drove off to downtown where his father's lab was located. He was listening to one of his favorite bands Killswitch Engage while driving. The lyrics of one of his favorite songs by them titled Rose of Sharyn seemed to speak directly to him. _What would I give to behold/ To behold the smile, the face of love?/ You never left me/ The rising sun will always speak your name_. He felt that he himself could've written the lyrics if Tak had never returned from space. They felt specifically made for someone whose lover had left them. He hoped and prayed that Tak would never leave him. He hoped that they be able to die together so that they would never have to be apart from each other. As the song ended he reached his dad's lab.

He parked in the parking garage across the street and made his way to the labs. He luckily had his ID with him, as the guards didn't recognize him with his Osaka Popstar t-shirt, tattered jeans, and Converse sneakers. He must've looked like just some punk off the street to them at first. That should be expected however as he hadn't been to his father's labs since the accident that killed his mother. How long ago was that again? 7 years ago wasn't it? He personally didn't care as he entered the lobby. He walked down a hallway and entered the elevator at the end of it.

He punched in the button for the floor his dad was on and waited as the elevator made its relatively slow ascent to the floor. When it got there he walked down a few hallways until he got to a particular door at the end of one hallway. He entered to see his Dad's secretary, Joan, typing something on her computer. He walked over to the desk she was sitting behind. She was about as old as his father and had black hair. "I'd like to see Professor Membrane please" he said to her. "May I ask who wants to talk to him?" the woman asked him. "His son, Dib Membrane." She stopped typing and looked up at the boy in front of her. "Oh my God. Is that really you Dib? I haven't seen you in ages! I'll tell him you're here." Joan said to him. She beeped his dad in his office. "What is it Joan?" asked the voice of Prof. Membrane. "Your son Dib is here to see you" she responded. "Alright, send him in." Dib then went into his father's office without any other invitation.

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Dib entered his dad's office where his father was sitting behind a desk finishing up something on the computer. "Hello there son," Membrane began. "Please take a seat." He finished typing and turned to his son. "So what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here? You've never come to my office before" he asked Dib. "Let's just cut the formalities Dad." Dib said as his father began taking a sip from the coffee he had on his desk. "I'm here to talk to you about Deep Black." At the mentioning of the chemical, Professor Membrane nearly choked on his coffee and began coughing.

"Where did you here about that?" he asked his son. "Does it really matter where I heard it from?" his son retorted. "Well what makes you think I know anything about it?" Dib rolled his eyes. "Look Dad, I know about how you injected Gaz and me with it to save our lives when we little." Dib said to his father. If Dib could see his father's eyes, he would've seen they grew to the size of dinner plates when Dib said this. "But I thought I…and the…how?" "Look Dad I just know about it okay! Now tell me what you know about it." Dib was beginning to get agitated at his father's refusal to answer him.

"Dib I can't. I just can't tell you." Prof. Membrane said. Dib had reached his breaking point. "WHY NOT!" he yelled at his father. "Because I just can't" was the man at the desks response. Dib was _really_ furious by now. "Because you can't? What kind of half-assed answer is that? What, am I just supposed to leave it at that and just talk to you like every thing has been going okay at home?" Dib yelled/asked. "Dib please calm down." Prof. Membrane said. Dib glared at his father. "No, I'm not gonna calm down! Do you wanna know why? Because I have every right to be pissed off at you! You're hardly ever home, you've missed every birthday of Gaz's and mine for seven years straight, you can only eat dinner with us one night, one goddamn night out of the whole year, and you don't even pay attention to what Gaz and I might be doing!" His father tried to defend himself, "Dib, you must understand that I've got a lot of work to do at the labs."

Dib snapped at this point. "Oh sure, use your work as an excuse! You spend your time trying to better other people, but you neglect your own kids! You don't even know what I like do you!" "Of course I do Dib! You like all that paranormal stuff that doesn't even come close to _real_ science." "Wrong! I gave up on that four years ago! If you knew anything about us at all you would know that Gaz and I've become closer as siblings, I now like the same things Gaz does, I'm in a band, I'm in love, and Gaz was almost murdered several weeks ago! But you wouldn't know, and do you know why? Because you don't pay attention to your own fucking kids! If anything we've become nothing more than a thorn in your side!"

Dib then began walking out of the room and turned back to his father. "You used to be a different person you know. How do you think Mom would feel about this?" He then left the room and stormed past Joan who had heard all the yelling in the room and had a bewildered look on her face. She entered his office to see him sitting there. "Is everything okay sir?" she asked him. The scientist behind the desk continued sitting there. "I…I honestly don't know Joan" was his response.

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Back at Zim's base, Gaz was busy cleaning some weapons of hers and making sure they were in working order. She had just finished inspecting the last weapon on her list, an M-16 with scope, laser sight, and grenade launcher under carriage, and decided a break was in order. She put the weapon back in the special weapons cache in the wall of her room and stretched. She was wearing a Rise Against t-shirt, with long, baggy black jean shorts, and some combat boots. She also had a couple of black and white striped arm coverings on. She opened the door to leave her room and was surprised to see Zim standing in front of her.

"Zim? What are you doing here?" Gaz asked the Irken boy in front of her. He was clad in a Nightmare Before Christmas t-shirt with Jack Skellington on it in front of an ornate gate with the title "Pumpkin King" above him. He also had a pair of cargo pants and some Vans on. "I…um…came here to uh, apologize for my behavior the other day when we were alone" he told her. "Apologize, why? I did it too." Gaz responded. "Yes, but I was the first one to begin doing it." Zim said trying to make it seem like it was his fault. "No, I was the first." Gaz said. "No, it was Zim." "No, it was me." "Zim!" "Me!" "Zim!" "Me!" "Zim!" "Okay wait!" Gaz shouted. "Obviously squabbling like a couple of two year olds isn't going to get us anywhere." Zim realized she was totally right. "You're right Gaz." They had moved out into the hallway by this time and where standing right outside Gaz's room. "So let's settle this like adults" Gaz began. "Agreed" Zim responded. "Yes, we can both agree that…I'm right and you're wrong!" Gaz said before running off down the hall. "Sonuvabitch" Zim swore to himself.

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Dib had left his father's office and had since driven away from the labs. 'Dammit, I didn't get any info out of Dad.' Dib thought to himself as he drove out of the parking garage of the labs. 'I was hoping for Dad to at least tell me some simple info. Even if it's something useless it would've at least helped me to know he had _some_ info on Deep Black.' He drove down the street wondering what the heck he was going to do now. As he was driving through downtown he noticed a group of people standing at the foot of a building.

Stopping his car, he got out and looked up like all the people were doing. He then noticed someone was standing on the roof of the building and it looked like he or she was about to jump off. "Oh my God! They're gonna jump!" someone in the crowd shrieked. "Shit! I gotta save them!" Dib said to himself. "I'm gonna have to try and transform for any chance of rescuing them." He then made a mad dash through the crowd and into the building's entrance. He ran up several flights of stairs trying to figure out how to activate the transformation.

He reached the roof and burst out of the door. He saw the person on the edge of the roof. He noticed she was a girl and was about his age or a year younger. "Don't jump!" he yelled out to her. When she turned around though, something hit him like a ton of bricks. 'That's Nicky, Squee's bands bassist.' Dib realized. She was crying and didn't say a word as she jumped from the building. Dib's mind began reeling as a thousand thoughts began running through his head. He then felt the familiar sensation of the transformation spread through his body.

He then made the split second decision that would mean life or death for Nicky. He ran to the edge of the roof and jumped off after Nicky. Dib felt the air whipping past his face as he fell towards Nicky. He came closer and closer to her as they both came closer and closer to the ground. Dib finally reached her and grabbed her. He realized falling at this speed and while holding someone it would be hard for him to flip over and land on his feet safely.

Fear hit him like a sucker punch, as they got closer to the ground. He then began to feel a sudden sharp pain in his back and he heard a ripping sound come from behind him as he felt something pop out of his back. Something in his mind told him to relax and pull up. It seemed to him like he wasn't even in control of his body as he instinctively pulled up from the free fall. He heard people screaming from below and he looked down to see the people pointing up at him in awe as he flew away from them.

Wait? _Flew away_? He looked to his side. What he saw astonished him. He saw a black angel wing flapping gently on his left side. He then looked to his right and there was the same thing. 'Amazing! This must be another new power. It's amazing!' However he remembered the whole reason _why_ he was in his transformed state in the first place. He looked down at the girl he was holding he decided it would be best to put her down someplace safe and secluded where he could talk to her.

He landed on the roof of another building in the downtown district not too far from the building she just jumped off of. He set the shaking girl down on the roof and kneeled down next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She looked at the person in front of her. She knew who he was when she saw him on the rooftop. He was the brother of the girl who Squee had a crush on. The girl who made Nicky realize she had no chance in Hell of ever having Squee love her.

"Gee, I just jumped off the roof of a thirty story building in an attempt to commit suicide, and you ask me if I'm okay? What do you think!?" she snapped at him. "Whoa, I didn't mean anything personal. I just wanted to know if you were okay." Dib countered. "No, I'm not okay. In fact I don't think I'll ever be okay again." Nicky told him. "Why not?" the boy asked her. "Why?" Nicky asked before letting out a fake laugh.

"I'll tell you why. It's because I'm never going to be loved. Not now or never. You know why? Because the only person I have been in love with since I met him, and the only person I could ever love, is in love with someone else and won't even acknowledge my love for him." Dib immediately knew who she was talking about. "You mean Squee? Why? Who else is he in love with?" he asked.

Nicky hung her head. "Your sister Gaz." Dib had a feeling that Squee had a crush on Gaz. However, he also knew that Gaz only considered Squee a good friend and that she was in love with Zim. "Look, um…Nicky. I know that it may seem impossible right now to get someone you know to love you. But, let me tell you. Gaz only sees Squee as a friend, nothing more, nothing less. And the sooner he realizes that, the sooner he'll see he already knows a nice young lady who'll be faithful to him forever."

Nicky looked up at the boy in front of her. He was smiling at her. She smiled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you Dib. I needed to hear that" she told him. "You're welcome" he replied. Nicky stood up and walked over to him and hugged him. Dib was caught off guard by this, but didn't break the hug. When Nicky finally let go of him Dib asked her if she needed to be taken home.

"Actually, you probably didn't realize this when we landed here, but this is my apartment building" she told him. "Oh, well nevermind then." Dib responded. He turned to fly back to where his car was. He turned back to her. "Could you not tell anyone about me looking like this?" he asked. "Oh please, I'm in love with a kid who was adopted by an ex-serial killer and I'm friends with the Anti-Christ. I've seen weirder things." Dib smirked and flew off back to where he had his car parked.

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AN: Yet another chapter completed. Man, I need to make these things longer in the near future. I know the little bit of ZAGR and the saving Nicky thing seemed randomly thrown in there but I just thought the ZAGR thing would be a nice bonus and the Nicky thing will make more sense later as the plot is fleshed out more. And yes, I gave Dib black angel wings. I thought that'd be sweet. Also, the next chapter will feature Gaz's transformation and even_ more_ ZAGR. Stay tuned.


	17. Sonic Reducer

How To Totally Rock!

AN: Another week, another chapter, nothing new, right? Right. I hope you guys had a good Thanksgiving this year. I've got plenty of good stuff to cram into this week's chapter, and plenty of time thanks, to Thanksgiving break. I'm also going to get Guitar Hero II for Christmas this year, which makes me squee for joy. I mean any game that features "Search and Destroy" by The Stooges _and_ "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies in the _same game_ is awesome, plus, "Thunder Horse" by Dethklok and "Trogdor" by Strong Bad as hidden songs? That is so indescribably awesome. Well enough about that. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

P.S. I apologize in advance, but I've decided to reveal Gaz's transformed state _next_ chapter. I feel it would just fit in better with the next chapter. And also the increase in ZAGR begins in this chapter.

Punk References From Last Chapter: Membrane's secretary Joan was named after Joan Jett, the first female punk artist ever! Even pre-dating Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex and Wendy O. Williams from Plasmatics, cool huh?

Last Chapter Name: Killswitch Engage song name

Chapter 17: Sonic Reducer

Dib landed unnoticed in an alley right next to his car. He changed back to his human form and walked out of the alley. He checked his back to see if there were any holes in his t-shirt from where the wings popped out. Luckily there weren't any in his shirt. 'Odd, the shirt is okay. I wonder if that's supposed to be a sort of stealth mechanism so nobody wonders what happened to your shirt when the wings pop out' he thought to himself.

He got to his car unnoticed and drove away from the crowd of people who were still there, most likely talking about the creature they had just seen save the girl who had jumped off of the building. He chuckled to himself, "People really are interesting in their endeavors to understand something they can't." Dib said to himself as he drove off back to Zim's base.

At Zim's base, Gaz had since gotten quite far away from Zim. She knew that what she did wasn't bad nor had it offended him, she knew that he knew she was playing around when she did that. She stopped by the snack bar he had installed in his base to grab something to eat. She had decided on a pretzel with nacho cheese and a Mountain Dew Code Red. She sat down at one of the tables and began eating her snack, thinking about what was taking Dib so long and also trying to figure out how she felt about Zim.

As she was thinking about this, GIR had entered the little snack bar too. He had realized he had an incredible craving for taquitos and had decided to go get some at the snack bar. He noticed Gaz sitting at one of the tables in the snack bar and went over to say hi. "Hey Gazzie!" the little robot said as he greeted the purple haired teen. "Oh, hi GIR" she responded.

"Watchu doin'?" GIR asked innocently. "Just thinking" was her response. "About what?" the little android inquired. "Just stuff." "What kinda stuff?" "Different kinds of stuff." "Stuff about Master?" Gaz blushed a little when he said this. "It is about Master, isn't it?" GIR asked her. "Yeah GIR, it is." Gaz said to the insane little robot. GIR then began giggling insanely while spinning around on his chair. "Gazzie likes Master!" he began chanting over and over in a singsong manner.

"GIR! Shhhh! What if Zim hears you?" the teen girl asked the little robot. GIR began smiling widely before saying, "It's okay Gazzie. Master likes you too!" he said. "Look GIR, I don't care if…wait. He _likes_ me?" she asked him. "Uh huh." "Really?" "I guess so." "You're not making this up?" GIR shook his head wildly. "Nope. I heard Master the other day talking about how much he likes you." GIR told her. Gaz blushed even harder at this statement. "He really said that?" she asked. "He sure did!" GIR told her. 'He really likes me?' the girl thought. "I gotta go GIR" she told the robot. "Okie dokie!" he said as she left. He then sat there for a couple of minutes before remembering he needed his taquitos.

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Dib returned shortly after and went straight into the house. He used the toilet elevator and went down into the base. Gaz was walking through the hallway as Dib came home. "Hey Dib. You get any info on the Deep Black?" she asked him. He didn't say anything to her and just pushed right by her. "Hey! What's your problem? I just asked you a yes or no question." Gaz said offended. "I don't wanna talk right now okay!" Dib said as he continued down the hall and turned the corner. "Prick." Gaz said.

"Who's the prick?" came an Australian accented voice from behind Gaz. The girl turned around to see Tak behind her. "It's Dib. He came back from his trip to Dad's office and he won't talk to me. I mean I just asked him a simple question and he flat out refused to answer it." Tak thought over this for a while. "Let me go talk to him. He'll talk to me" she said before walking off to Dib's room.

When she got to Dib's room she knocked on his door. "Dib? You in there?" she asked. "Yeah I'm in here" came the response from inside. "Can I come in?" she asked the boy inside. "Sure, come on in." She opened the door and entered the room. Dib was sitting on his bed looking over some of the research on Deep Black he had found. He wanted to see if there was something on his newfound power that he had missed somewhere. So far he couldn't find anything.

"Is everything okay Dib?" his alien girlfriend asked. He threw the papers down onto his bed in frustration. "Jesus Christ! Why can't I find anything in here!" he bellowed before his head sunk into his hands. He was obviously very depressed and frustrated by the lack of information he needed. Tak wrapped her arms around her frustrated boyfriend in an attempt to comfort him. "It's okay Dib. It's not the end of the world if you can't find the answers you're searching for right away" she said to him soothingly.

Dib relaxed at his loves soothing words of comfort. "Thanks Tak, I needed that." Dib told her. "No problem love" she responded. They then kissed for a little while before Dib said, "Tak can I tell you something?" "Sure Dib, anything" the Irken girl said to the boy lying next to her. The boy sat up a little and looked his lover directly in her beautiful purple eyes. "Well the thing is, I wonder if my Dad even loves me and Gaz anymore. Ever since Mom died I think he's just viewed us more as baggage than his kids you know? I sometimes wonder about if he even cares anymore."

Tak took her boyfriend's head in her hands and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Of course he still cares Dib. If he didn't he wouldn't send you and Gaz money to live off of, or visit you no matter how infrequently he does, or bother to check in on you. He does love you and Gaz, Dib. He just needs to realize that you two are more important than his work." Dib smiled back at his girlfriend and kissed her again. "Thanks Tak" he said. "Like I said earlier, no problem." They were both silent for a while before Dib decided to break it. "So…wanna do it?" he asked Tak. "I thought you'd never ask" she replied.

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Zim was currently sitting in the rec room of his base and watching Avatar: The Last Airbender on his massive TV. How massive is it? It's only _slightly_ smaller than the typical movie theater screen. He was lounging on an incredibly comfy couch he had gotten from Vort a while back while watching the show. He just lay there watching one of his favorite shows and thinking about exactly _what_ caused him to, seemingly on impulse, try and _kiss_ Gaz.

'Why did I do it? Are my hormones really that out of control that I lost control of my body and decided to just try and kiss her? If I'm not careful I could end up ruining our friendship before I can admit to her I love her.' Zim thought to himself. '_You forgot that she too tried to kiss you_' came the voice of Zim's conscience, Steve. 'Hey Steve, long time no see.' '_Well, I've been kinda hangin' low you know what I'm saying? Ever since you decided to go Mafioso hunting, you haven't really been experiencing many "_moral dilemmas_". So I've just been hanging out in your skull._'

Zim turned the TV, so as to be able to talk to Steve better and because Avatar had ended and that retarded show "Zoey 101" was coming on and no one in their right mind, especially Zim, would watch that drivel. 'Yeah, I guess she did also try to kiss me. But I tried to first. She was just reacting to me.' '_Zim, Zim, Zim. You both tried to kiss each other at the same time. Nobody went first with someone else doing it after. It was simultaneous so nobody can lay the blame on oneself for starting it._'

Zim thought this over for a bit. 'You're right Steve. I feel stupid for blaming myself for what happened. I mean, does it really matter who started it anyway? Fuck no! I'm master of my own destiny and I should realize when something is or is not my fault!' '_That's the spirit! Now go tell Gaz you love her!_' 'Yeah! Wait, eh? You mean now?' '_No, I mean next year, of course now you boob!_' 'Why now?' 'Why not now? Better now than never as they say.' 'Yeah you're right.' Zim said as he went to go look for Gaz.

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Zim wandered the halls looking for Gaz so he could talk to her. He couldn't find her in most of the places she hung out in, in the base. The only other place he could think of her being was her room. So he made his way to her room and knocked on the door. "I'm coming" came the response from inside. The door opened to reveal the girl occupying the room on the other side of it. "Back again to tell me how sorry you are for starting everything again?" she asked Zim. "No" he replied. "Good because we both know I started it."

"No Gaz, that's not what I meant. What I meant was 'No, I'm not here to apologize for anything because we should both know that neither of us started it.'" Zim said. "What are you talking about Zim?" "What I'm talking about is that we both acted on impulse at the exact same time. No one is to blame for anything at all. We're both equally to blame, okay?" Gaz just stood there for a minute unsure how to take what he just said. "Gaz? Are you okay? You're just standing there." Zim said to Gaz. "Huh? Oh yeah I just thought you were right, and it was silly of us to fight about something trivial like that."

Zim grinned at her. "Good, well then I guess that's all I need to do here then, so I'll be off." As he was walking away though, Gaz called out to him. "Zim, wait!" The green boy turned around to look at Gaz. "Yes, Gaz?" he said inquisitively. "Well I just wanted to say…um…well…" Gaz began blushing and Zim knew what she was going to say. He was waiting for her to say it, when the alarm suddenly went off. 'Dammit.' Zim thought to himself. Gaz breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll tell you later" she told him before they both ran off to the central planning room.

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Apparently, the central planning room was the rec room of the base. Zim hit a button on the wall and the couch disappeared under the floor and was replaced with a holographic strategy table much like the one in Return of The Jedi. Gaz and Zim were the first ones in the room obviously, shortly followed by GIR and Mimi who had run into each other in the hallway. Tak and Dib entered shortly after though both seemed to be sweaty and Dib was just finishing getting his shirt back on and his glasses were crooked and his pants hadn't been zipped up. It didn't take a genius for the others (except GIR of course) to figure out what they were doing.

The image on the holographic projection showed the park where the benefit concert was to be held. "The park is all set up, it seems that the alarm sounded to alert us to this. Apparently, according to this there can be anyplace where the mobsters can attack" Zim said to the others. "Tomorrow's the day people. This is gonna be a huge mission for us and we should be prepared for anything. We'll have to show these two-bit gangster asswipes whose boss" he told the others.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us." Gaz said this time. "Looks like it Gaz." Dib agreed. "This shouldn't be too tough. We've got two aliens and two super powered siblings on our side." Tak said to the others. "Don't forget you guys have GIR and me here monitoring everything going on." Mimi added. "Yeah! It's fun watching all the flashing lights! It's like a video game, only real!" GIR added in his own weird way. "Oh yeah, this is definitely going to be interesting." Zim added in.

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AN: Whooo! 'Nother chapter done for your reading pleasure! I hope you enjoyed the extra humor I added in and the increase in ZAGR. And also, this Friday is the hour long season finale of Avatar! Booyah! I can't wait to see how that turns out! Well, until next time faithful readers!


	18. Institutionalized

How To Totally Rock!

AN: Well, I'm back with a vengeance with another chapter. Jeez, I needed that break. I've got some ideas for this chapter that I came up with during my break. I've also found out that one of my fave music sites, CDZINC is back up and better than ever! Type the name into your browser (in lower case letters) and put .com at the end. They've got an enormous selection, which continues to impress. Also, I'm going to start putting what the characters are wearing up here so I don't have to interrupt the story to describe their clothes. So here's their wardrobe:

Zim: Adicts t-shirt with khaki cargo pants and Chuck Taylors

Gaz: Gungrave t-shirt with jeans and combat boots

Dib: unopened red button shirt with Legend of Zelda t-shirt with baggy jeans and Descendents sneakers

Tak: Killswitch Engage t-shirt with camo pants and sandals

Squee: Iron Maiden "Number of the Beast" album cover art t-shirt with jeans and steel toed combat boots

Pepito: Slipknot t-shirt with baggy camo cargos and bullet belt and Element sneakers

Nicky: Bleach t-shirt with long baggy jean shorts and Converse sneakers

Chuck: T-shirt with repeated saying of "Can't Sleep Clowns Will Eat Me" on it with torn jeans and Independent sneakers

Last Chapter Name: Dead Boys song name

Chapter 18: Institutionalized

The city park was a nice quiet place a lot of the time. It was not unlike Central Park in New York City, just as big and with just as much in it as Central Park. Food stands, paddleboat rentals, and a few playgrounds were what the park offered besides just walk around, enjoy nature, maybe have a picnic, or hold an event there. Apparently, the last one was the one going on in the park.

It was election year, and Mayor Iggy had been trying everything he could do legally all year to gain favor with the people of the city so he could be re-elected later that year. The festival that was being held though wasn't entirely his idea. His son Chuck, the drummer for Squee's group "The Blood Thirsty Bad-Asses" told him about them tying with "The Invaders" at the battle of the bands contest. Chuck said they were going to play The Pit on July 25th, his birthday.

Instead of having Chuck and his friends play at a club, Iggy decided to plan a festival for that day for his friends to perform outdoors and as a birthday party for him too. Chuck was enthused of course, as there were several perks that came with being the son of the Mayor of the city. As such, on the day of the festivities, the park was being readied for the events that would unfold that afternoon.

It was noon and the festival would be starting in an hour. However, the festival wasn't the only thing being prepared. Apparently, a nice view of the whole park could be witnessed by anyone who had a room on the upper floors of the nearby hotel. A pair of binoculars spied on the festival workers getting the whole thing together in the park from a room on the top floor. The man holding the binoculars put them down and turned to a group of men in the room.

"Looks like the mice are getting ready to play" the man who had been using the binoculars said to the others. "So, what's the plan Rocco?" asked one of the men in the room. The man known, as Rocco, lit a cigarette and took a long drag on it. "Boss says the plan is we kill the Mayor, Vinnie. According to what he told me, he wants one of us to stay up here as a sniper. Mikey, that's you. Another one of us will try and attempt the same in a car on ground level. Dave, you're in charge of that. Vinnie, you, Carl, and I will try and get him from amongst the crowd." Rocco instructed them

The one gangster, Mikey, looked puzzled. "But why does Boss want all of us? I mean we're some of his best assassins one of us should be enough. Right?" Rocco put his cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. "The Boss says we all need to do this. He expects we'll have some company during our mission" he told them. "What kind of company?" Carl asked. "A few teens who think they're heroes or something."

"That doesn't sound very menacing to me." Vinnie said. "Heh, don't be fooled." Rocco said. "According to a report I read, one of those kids took out an entire bar filled with thugs and a few of our guys. There's also a report that they're the ones that took out the drug lab under the High Roller a few days ago." The rest of the gangsters were a little reluctant to believe what they were being told. "Are you sure you heard correctly?" Mikey asked. "I mean, who's ever heard of a coupla teens taking out a bunch of gangsters before, huh?"

"These aren't ordinary teenagers, Mikey. Not much is known about two of them, but the other two are Deep Black subjects." Rocco told them. This caused the others to tense. "Did you just say that two of them are Deep Black subjects?" Carl asked. "Yes, I did. That alone is dangerous enough. But, considering the little known info about the other two, it really raises concern for us. As such Mr. Nelson thought it'd be best if he sent a buncha us in case they make an appearance, which they most likely will." Rocco explained to the others.

"So now that that's outta the way, we should get moving" he added. The others got up and left the room except Mikey, who pulled a large gun case out from underneath the bed in said room. He opened it up and began taking the guns pieces out and assembled the thing as quickly, cleanly, efficiently, and quietly as possible. The other gangsters stepped out of the hotel as Mikey was completing his gun assembly.

They piled into Rocco's car and drove closer to the park where Dave would attempt the same thing Mikey was attempting in the hotel room. Rocco, Vinnie, and Carl got out of the car when it arrived at their destination allowing the three gangsters to be around when the people show up so they could immediately intermingle with the crowd and be harder to find. Rocco smirked to himself, "Let's see those punks try and stop us!" he said.

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About forty-five minutes later, the festival had started up and a lot of people had shown up to it. It was a large festival with it taking up roughly half the park. As such, many people were there, allowing the gangsters a good chance to become part of the crowd and remain unnoticed. However, there were also some other people there whose purpose for being there was to keep those bastards from killing the mayor. It was of course Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Tak with Mimi and GIR having remained back at the base.

The four were seated at a picnic table going over their own plan. "According to a scan I did of the surrounding area" Zim began, "the most likely course of action they'd take is to position a sniper in a nearby building with adequate height so as to get a good shot. However, we must also take into consideration that they might also put a guy on street level who can attack from afar and escape without having to worry about capture. And then of course there might be some guys in this very crowd of people who could possibly try and attack the mayor. Because of this, Gaz has come up with a great course of action."

Gaz then told the others her plan. "The way I see it, wee need to have someone check all nearby office buildings and hotels. Dib, that's where you come in, you need to use your transformed state to fly around and examine any buildings, which could offer one of the gangsters a good vantage point to attack. Tak, I need you to check the streets around the park grounds for any signs of someone maybe trying to attack the mayor. Zim and I will search the grounds for anybody who might seem suspicious."

The others nodded their heads in agreement to Gaz's plan. It was quite good and the only way for them to make sure the assassins couldn't get to the mayor. "Also, the time they'll probably attack is right after Squee and his band play. He plans on going on stage and having everyone sing "Happy Birthday" for his son Chuck, and give him his cake. So if the assassins are going to attack it's when they'll have a clear shot, which is _exactly_ what they'll have when he's on stage."

"So when _is_ Squee's band going to play?" Tak asked Gaz. Gaz looked at her watch. "At about, two o'clock" she said. "So what do we do right now?" Dib asked this time. Gaz shrugged, "I don't know" she said to them. "Just fuck around and have a good time so we don't stick out like a sore thumb, I guess." Dib and Tak grinned at each other before getting up from the table. "Well then, Tak and I are just gonna go, umm, check out the place then." Dib said before he and Tak ran off. "Remember the plan!" Gaz called out after the two lovebirds.

"I swear those two can be such a handful at times." Gaz said to Zim. "I know. It was a lot easier back when they were too nervous to tell each other" the Irken boy said. "So what should _we_ do?" asked Gaz with a bored tone in her voice. "You wanna just walk around?" Zim asked her. "Sure, why not?" Gaz replied. As they were about to leave the table they were sitting at though, a familiar voice called out to Gaz. "Hey Gaz! Wait up!" Gaz turned to see Squee running up to her.

"Hey Squee! What's going on with you?" she asked the boy. "Well, besides the fact that I'm playing here, not much." Squee responded. "Well I look forward to that, Squee. Unfortunately, Zim and I have to go now" Gaz began to tell him. "So…he and I'll just go now…" she said as she began walking away. "Wait! Gaz!" Squee called to her and grabbed her arm. Gaz turned around to face the boy she'd been friends with since childhood. Normally, people who touched her got a faceful of fist shortly after. Considering their past however, she held back the tendency to do so.

"What is it Squee?" she asked him. "Well" he began nervously. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me on Saturday? Maybe go see a movie or something?" Gaz knew this was coming and knew it _would_ _come_ eventually. Zim also had a feeling this would come eventually and jealousy and murderous intent began flowing out of him like water from a burst dam. Gaz could sense this too and realized she had to do something before Zim tore Squee limb from limb. "Look Squee, I can't" she told him. "Why? Do you have something going on, on Saturday?" he asked. "No Squee, it's not that. I just can't do that because I just don't feel anything for you as anything more than a friend. I don't have any romantic feelings for you Squee. You're a great guy though and I think you'd make another girl close to you very happy."

After saying that she turned to Zim. "C'mon Zim, let's go." As they walked by Squee Zim said to him, "You got lucky this time." Squee just stood there unsure of what other girl Gaz could have been talking about. "Did she mean Nicky?" he said to himself as he finally regained his composure and walked back to where his band members were waiting. Pepito was the first to notice him approaching. "Hey Mr. Playboy! So did you ask her out?" he asked Squee. "Yeah, but she said she only liked me as a friend" the boy replied. "Ouch. Sorry 'bout that man." Pepito said to him.

"She told me that I would make "another girl close to me" happy." Squee told his satanic best friend. "What girl could he be talking about?" Pepito asked him. Squee looked over at Nicky who was sitting down reading "The Shining" by Stephen King while drinking a Coca-Cola. "I think I know." Squee told him. He than got up and walked over to Nicky. "Umm, Nicky?" he asked the girl. She looked up from her book to see Squee looking down at her. "Yes Squee?" she asked. "Do you want to um, go out on Saturday?" he asked her. Nicky's eyes light up like a Christmas tree. "Yes, yes I would Squee" she told him. Squee at that moment realized something. Nicky had always loved him. Genuinely loved him, not some silly teenage crush but actual love. Something he had never experienced from anyone before really.

Sure Nny and Devi loved him in a parental way. But he had never had any _girls_ love him. It made him…happy inside. Now knowing that there was someone who _truly_ loved him. It brought a never before felt happiness to his being. He smiled to himself, which caused Nicky to raise her eyebrow. "What are you smiling about?" she asked him. "Oh nothing" he responded slyly.

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Gaz and Zim made their way around the festival grounds taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the festival. "So Zim." Gaz began. "Why did it seem like you were getting ready to tear Squee in half when he was asking me out?" she asked him. Zim fidgeted slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, heh heh, um…the thing is I just don't think it was…_proper_ of him to do that just out of the blue."

"Really?" Gaz replied. "Are you sure that's the only reason?" Zim began stuttering. "O-of course th-that's the only reason. What other reason would there be?" he asked. Gaz smirked, "Oh nothing." "Well, while we're on the subject. What about you Gaz? I thought you held high regards for that Squee." "I do Zim. I just don't _love_ him. He's a friend and nothing more." Zim looked at Gaz with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Well if that's the case, do you have any boys who you have any…_special_ _feelings_ for?" he asked her. "Well there is this one. He's tall, cute, strong, a good leader, funny, a little full of himself, but sweet, and he's a good person deep down." Zim looked at her again. "What's his name?" he asked. "Sorry I can't tell you. It's a secret." Zim frowned slightly. "You're a cruel person you know?" he asked her. "I know" she said with a quick laugh.

"Attention everyone!" a voice over some loudspeakers said. "If I could have your attention please! The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses will be playing in five minutes. All who want to attend, come to the center of the park immediately." Gaz and Zim looked at each other. "Looks like it's time." Zim said.

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At the center of the park, a large stage had been erected for the bands performance. All the people who were at the festival gathered around the stage, as a man walked up to one of the microphones. "Everyone here, it is my pleasure to present to you an amazing band. Put your hands together for…The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses!" he yelled into the mic before smoke began spewing onto the stage as the members rose up through trapdoors in the stage.

"Hello everyone!" Squee shouted into the microphone. As everyone cheered he continued. For our first song, Pepito will be singing lead!" Squee announced. Pepito walked up to his mic and said, "This is one of my fave songs of all time, it's by a band called Slipknot. It's called, People Shit."

Here we go again, motherfucker

Come on down, and see the idiot right here  
Too fucked to beg and not afraid to care  
What's the matter with calamity anyway?  
Right? Get the fuck outta my face  
Understand that I can't feel anything  
It isn't like I wanna sift through the decay  
I feel like a would, like I got a fuckin'  
Gun against my head, you live when I'm dead

One more time, motherfucker

Everybody hates me now, so fuck it   
Blood's on my face and my hands, and I  
Don't know why, I'm not afraid to cry  
But that's none of your business  
Whose life is it? Get it? See it? Feel it? Eat it?  
Spin it around so i can spit in its face  
I wanna leave without a trace  
Cuz I don't wanna diein this place

People Shit  
People Shit (Whatcha gonna do?)  
People Shit (Cuz I am not afraid of you)   
People Shit (I'm everything you'll never be)  
People Shit 

It never stops - you can't be everything to everyone   
Contagion - I'm sittin' at the side of Satan  
What do you want from me?  
They never told me the failure I was meant to be  
Overdo it - don't tell me you blew it  
Stop your bitchin' and fight your way through it  
I'M - NOT - LIKE - YOU - I - JUST - FUCK - UP 

C'mon motherfucker, everybody has to die

People Shit  
People Shit (Whatcha gonna do?)  
People Shit (Cuz I am not afraid of you)  
People Shit (I'm everything you'll never be)  
People Shit

After the song had finished, the crowd went wild. Pepito's singing voice was amazing and copied Corey Taylor's perfectly. In fact it was so perfect it was like hearing Corey Taylor himself sing the song. "Thank you everyone. But we've got another cover to do." Squee told the crowd. "I'll sing this one and it's a song originally by The Murderdolls. It's called 197666."

In 197666 I was born a bastard and a son of a bitch  
And I'm sick, sick motherfucker sick

In 197666 I nailed a G.I. Joe to a crucifix  
And I'm sick, sick motherfucker sick

I don't wanna commit suicide  
I just wanna commit a homicide  
Oh yeah, that's what I am

76 born a son of a bitch  
76 born a son of a bitch  
Oh yeah, that's what I am

In 197666 I had a porno mag inside my crib  
And I'm sick, sick motherfucker sick

In 197666 I killed an animal rights activist  
Because animals ain't got no rights that's right

I don't wanna commit suicide  
I just wanna commit a homicide  
Oh yeah, that's what I am

76 born a son of a bitch  
76 born a son of a bitch  
Oh yeah, that's what I am

Shortly after a guitar solo burst out before closing with another repeat of the pre-chorus and chorus.

I don't wanna commit suicide  
I just wanna commit a homicide  
Oh yeah, that's what I am

76 born a son of a bitch  
76 born a son of a bitch  
Oh yeah, that's what I am

When the song ended the crowd cheered wildly again. The band continued playing some new songs they had written and were really getting everyone pumped up. As this was going on however, Rocco was standing in the back of the crowd. "Is everyone in position?" he said into a collar comlink. "Roger" came the reply from every other gangster in the park and surrounding area. "As soon as the mayor ascends the stage, we attack!"

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At the same time that Rocco had called up his buddies, Gaz and Zim had spread out amongst the crowd and Gaz had decided to call everyone in _their_ group up. "Dib, what's the status on those buildings?" She said into her own comlink. "I've checked most of the buildings in the surrounding area." Dib said as he flew above the park. "But nothing of interest yet."

"What about you Tak?" Gaz asked. "I've checked most of the cars around the park. I don't see anything of concern yet." Gaz then called Zim up. "How are things on your end Zim?" she asked him. The Irken boy was surveying the area from a nearby tree and couldn't see anything either. "Sorry Gaz. Nothing yet." Zim said. 'Damn, the mayor is going to be ascending the stage soon.' Gaz thought. 'We need to find whoever it is that's going to attack the mayor.'

At that moment, the band's set ended and the crowd went really wild. The Mayor began ascending the stage at that moment which all the gangsters at the ready noticed immediately, as did Gaz, Zim, Tak, and Dib. The mayor was then accompanied by his assistant who had a large birthday cake in his hands. The mayor was tall, about 6' 3", had brown hair, and was most likely in his mid-40s. The mayor than walked up to one of the microphones clapping his own hands, "That was a great performance from my son and his friends wasn't it?"

As the crowd went crazy again, he continued to speak into the microphone. "Speaking of my son, today is his birthday. So come on up here Chuck." Chuck got up from his position behind his drumkit and walked over to his dad. "My son Chuck everyone, give the boy a round of applause." Everyone began clapping as Rocco, Vinnie, and Carl began moving in through the crowd toward the stage. Mikey propped his sniper rifle on its stand on the windowsill, taking careful aim making sure not to shoot too early. Dave could see from his spot and pulled his own sniper rifle out and took aim.

As this was going on, Gaz sensed something going on and began pushing herself through the mass of bodies. Upon getting to the stage she pushed her way past the security and onto the stage. She ran up the stairs on it and ran to the mayor. "Mr. Mayor! You have to come with me. You're in terrible danger!" she shouted to him. Up in the hotel room, Mikey aligned his sights with the mayor's head. He put his finger on the trigger. Gaz sensed this and yelled, "Get down!" before jumping into the mayor pushing him out of the way were a bullet hit the stage sending splintered wood into the air and causing people to scream panic.

"Shit!" Mikey swore as he began to realign his shot. However, Gaz began to feel something inside of her trying to escape. She felt like she could see _exactly_ where the one assassin was. She got up and ran over to where the first bullet hit, and picked up a big piece of splintered wood. As Mikey finally got his shot realigned, Gaz appeared in his sights. "Stupid bitch." Mikey said as he prepared to fire. He wasn't fast enough though as Gaz hurled the wooden spike with incredible strength sending it flying up and through Mikey's scope, then his eye, then brain, and out the back of his head as it imbedded itself in the wall behind him as he fell over dead.

Zim had seen this from the mass of bodies he was stuck in. He then noticed Gaz collapse on the stage as she held her head. Suddenly, her hair grew out to be slightly longer than her shoulders. He also noticed her clothes changed to those resembling her ensemble back when she was younger, only the shirt was slightly longer and her boots had more buckles and belts in it and went higher up her pants. The transformation for her finished when two large leathery demon wings popped out of her back and her eyes turned red. She turned to the mayor. "Sir, I need to get you out of here" she said to him.

Across the park in the street, Dave realized it was his turn to finish the job. He took aim and was about to open fire, when Tak, who had snuck up on the car, threw the door open and leaped in grabbing him from behind and slitting his throat, sending blood spraying onto the windshield. Back up in the air, Dib saw his sister deal with the one assassin and her transformation. He landed on the stage, next to his sister who was helping the mayor to his feet. "Gaz, are you okay?" Dib asked his sister.

"I'm fine Dib. Here, take the mayor and get him to safety." Gaz demanded to her brother. "Not so fast sweetheart" came a voice from behind her. Carl had made it to the stage and had a gun pointed directly at Gaz's back. "Just step away from the mayor, and I'll kill you quickly" the gangster bargained. "I don't think so" said Gaz as a long katana formed in her right hand. It was huge, about a meter long and strongly resembled Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII's katana.

"The hell," Carl muttered as Gaz spun around and literally flew right at him. He didn't have the time to react as Gaz flew by and slashed him horizontally. However, when she stopped, he seemed to be in one piece. "Ha, stupid bitch, you missed!" he shouted before taking aim at the mayor. Gaz however, twisted her sword in her hand, causing Carl to stop. He then coughed up blood and looked down to see a line of blood form across his abdomen. His top half then slid off his bottom half as he died.

"Get out of here Dib!" Gaz shouted snapping her brother to his senses. He then took the mayor and flew out of there. By then festival grounds were practically empty. Zim however, was present and ran up to Gaz on the stage. "Gaz! Are you okay?" he asked the girl. Gaz nonchalantly blew a lock of hair out of her face, and answered, "Of course I'm okay. I'm not helpless, ya know." Zim sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I couldn't find any of the other gangsters. They must've escaped" he told her.

"Dammit" swore Gaz. "Are you sure they…" she stopped suddenly. She sensed something. She spun around pointing her katana at one of the tents on ground level. "Alright, c'mon out! You might as well give up! We've already kicked your ass, so just reveal yourself and make it easy on yourself!" After shouting this though, Vinnie and Rocco came out of the tent both holding a hostage. Vinnie had Chuck and Rocco had Nicky. "Let go of me!" Nicky yelled at her captor.

"Shout your mouth!" Rocco shouted back. Even though he was struggling too, Chuck wasn't saying anything. "Well, well, well. Looks like the shoe is on the other foot now. What were you saying about beating us? You may have gotten Mikey, Dave, and Carl. But you ain't gonna get us. 'Cause we got insurance, and if you don't want anything to happen to these two, put your weapons down and give up." Vinnie didn't notice it, but someone had taken aim at him from afar. The next thing anyone knew, his head burst like a balloon. Albeit, like a balloon filled with blood, brain matter, and skull fragments, but you get the general idea.

Tak apparently had jacked Dave's sniper rifle and used it to blew Vinnie's head into oblivion. Rocco was surprised by this allowing Squee to jump him from behind. The two wrestled around on the ground as Squee pulled one of Nny's knives out from his belt. He had Rocco pinned down and was gonna stab him. Rocco however kicked Squee off of him and made a run for it, realizing he had lost. Squee however got up picked up the knife and threw it with expert precision.

It flew right at Rocco, and severed his right arm from his body. Rocco grabbed the stump, but continued running. Squee helped Nicky up from the ground. "Squee, you saved me!" she said as he helped her up. "It was noth…" his sentence was cut short by Nicky who pressed her lips against his. Squee was slightly shocked by this at first but then relaxed into it. They would've kissed longer, but Gaz interrupted them. "So Squee, where did you learn to fight and throw knives like that?" Squee, surprised, turned to Gaz.

"Nny taught me. He taught me everything he knew." Squee admitted to her. "Look, I'll just get to the point. We're looking to rid the city of Marshall Nelson. That crook's been ruining this city long enough. And after today, I realized it might be a good idea to add more people to our ranks. Do you think, you and Nny would be interested?" Gaz told him. Squee thought about it. "I'm in, and I think Nny would like to join us too" he said with a grin.

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In dingy alleyway, Rocco came to a stop and held his bloody stump out. Only, it didn't stay a bloody stump for long. It suddenly grew into a new arm. "Those kids, are gonna pay!" he said as he made fist and punched the nearby wall, breaking a hole the size of an SUV in it.

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AN: Wheee! I'm done! Sorry for taking so long everyone. I just needed some time to make it really good. And I think I did. Also, the story will be updated once every _two_ weeks from now on, okay? Merry Christmas everyone!

P.S.: I have decided, as an added bonus, to list the equipment that both The Invaders and The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses use. Here you go.

The Invaders:

Gaz:

Gibson Les Paul Standard Gold Top

Ibanez RG1570

Taylor 512ce acoustic guitar

Ernie Ball Music Man Power Slinky strings

Dunlop Tortex picks .88 mm

Monster Rock Cables

Crate amps and speakers

Dunlop Crybaby Wah-Wah pedal

Dunlop Fuzzface pedal

Dunlop Heil Talk Box

Audio Technica microphones

Zim:

Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray Bass

Rickenbacker 4003 bass

Ernie Ball Music Man Extra Slinky Bass strings

Dunlop Tortex picks 1.00 mm

SWR bass amps

Crate speakers

Ernie Ball cables

Audio Technica Microphones

Dib:

Fender Telecaster Standard

Gibson ES-335

Gibson J-160E VS STD acoustic guitar

Ernie Ball Music Man Super Slinky strings

Dunlop Tortex picks 1.14 mm

Monster Rock Cables

Mesa Boogie amps and speakers

Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Signature Crybaby

Dunlop EVH Flanger pedal

Tak:

Korg Triton keyboard

Roland AX-1 keytar

Roland modules

Ernie Ball cables

Mesa Boogie speakers

GIR:

OCDP drumkit:

9x10 tom-tom attached to hi-hat stand

6x14 snare drum

10x12 bass drum mounted tom

14x16 floor tom

20x22 bass drum

Tama Iron Cobra Rolling Glide Double Bass Pedal

Tama hardware

Zildjian cymbals

Remo coated Diplomat drumhead on 9x10 tom

Remo coated Emperor drumhead on snare

Remo ebony Ambassador drumheads on bass mounted tom and floor tom

Remo clear controlled sound drumhead on bass drum

Vater Hammer drumsticks

Audio Technica microphones

Monster Rock cables

Crate speakers

The Blood Thirsty Bad Asses:

Squee:

Gibson Flying V

Ibanez GAX30BKN

SIT Power Groove guitar strings

Dunlop Confetti guitar picks 1.00 mm

Dunlop cables

Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion pedal

Boss PW-10 V-Wah

Orange amps and speakers

Royer microphones

Pepito:

Ibanez RG1520

Ibanez MTM1 Mick Thompson Signature

SIT Power Steel strings

Dunlop Shell picks .73 mm

Boss MT-2 Metal Zone

Boss PW-10 V-Wah

VHT amps and speakers

Monster Rock cables

Blue microphones

Nicky:

Ibanez SRXHRG1 bass

Gibson RD Artist bass

SIT Rock Brights bass strings

Dunlop Ultex picks 1.14 mm

Dunlop cables

Crate bass amps

Chuck:

Tama Starclassic Maple double set

8x8, 8x10, 9x10, and 10x12 toms

5.5x12 snare drum

12x14 and 16x18 floor toms

two 18x22 bass drums

Remo coated Ambassadors on snare and all toms

Remo clear Emperor drumheads on bass drums

two Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide bass pedals

Tama hardware

Paiste Rude series cymbals

Easton titanium drumsticks

Audio Technica microphones

Dunlop cables

Mesa Boogie speakers


	19. Troops of Tomorrow

How To Totally Rock!

AN: This is an emergency broadcast! This is not a test! Nah, I'm joshing you guys. The only emergency is that school is back in session for me. Bummer. However, I had a great Christmas. I got all the things I asked for and then some. I also must say that Guitar Hero II, is quite possibly the greatest music game in the world! Dance Dance Revolution can suck it, for all I care. It just makes you look like a fool when you play it and there's _never_ any good music in those games. Guitar Hero II packs all sorts of good songs though, and it never gets old. But this isn't the place to talk about that. Also, my one reader, geminidragon76, has a Deviant Art account at: jasminealexandra. She has drawn a few pictures inspired by my story so go check her out! She's also got some great stories so read those too! And thanks for liking my story and giving me props. You have been there from the start, and I like your reviews, stories, and art. I wish I could draw like that! Anyway, onto the story!

Disclaimer: Nothing. That is what I own.

Punk References From Last Chapter:

Mayor Iggy: Oh c'mon! Do I really nead to tell you this one? He's obviously named after Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk himself! Jesus! With as much admiration I have for this man you'd think you'd know that. Wait, you do? Oh, never mind then.

Characters Clothing for this chapter:

Zim: Reel Big Fish t-shirt with jeans and Converse sneakers

Dib: Trigun t-shirt with cargo camo shorts and Independent sneakers

Gaz: White button up shirt with red tie, plaid shorts and combat boots

Tak: What Would Chuck Norris Do? T-shirt with jean shorts and sandals

Squee: Ratt t-shirt with khaki cargo pants

Pepito: Dawn of the Dead t-shirt with those baggy jeans with all the pockets and Element sneakers

Nny: What he normally wears, because his clothes are just so awesome to begin with.

Last Chapter Name: Suicidal Tendencies song name

Chapter 19: Troops of Tomorrow

The incident at the festival quickly became a hot topic around the city. The media, being the merciless vultures they were, descended on it like flies on shit. Once again proving that the news will turn any form of catastrophe into a ratings goldmine. But everyone knows that, and that's not the focus of the story anyway. Instead, let's get right to the focus: Zim and the gangs band, and their war against evil!

God, that was corny as hell! But anyway, our heroes had just gained some new allies in Squee and Johnny. Pepito had also been invited to come along because, as demonic as he was, he wasn't about to pass up a chance to engage in a little "playtime" as he liked to call it. They were all told to meet at Zim's house and Gaz would explain everything to them. They had just arrived at Zim's house and were getting out of Nny's car. "So this is where Gaz told us to meet her?" Pepito asked Squee.

Squee took a look at it then looked at the instructions Gaz had given him. "Yeah, this is the place" he said. "This place looks even worse than how my house used to look." Nny said. "So, what are we supposed to do?" Pepito asked. "We knock on the door and see if anybody's home yet." Squee said to his friend. The three walked up to the houses front door.

"Damn, what's with all the freaky gnomes?" Pepito asked. "I mean I'm the ever loving Anti-Christ for Pete's sake! And these things still give me the willies." Nny on the other hand seemed to like the weird little lawn gnomes. "I don't know, I kinda like them" he said. "Would you two just ignore the gnomes! We're here to help Gaz and her friends out. Not check out lawn decorations!" Squee said, obviously irritated, to his adoptive father and best friend before ringing the doorbell.

Silence followed the doorbells ringing and the three just stood around for a bit. Squee rung it again, holding it down for a little bit to keep the noise going for a while longer in case they weren't hearing it. Pepito peaked in through one of the windows to see if anyone was in there. "It seems empty. Like no one's there. What's more, there seems to be only a living room and kitchen in this guys house." Pepito said. He looked in the window again. "What's more, this Zim kid has a fricking toilet in his kitchen."

Squee turned to his friend with a confused look on his face. "He has a _toilet_…in his _kitchen_?" he said bewildered. However, at that time the door opened and the three turned their attention to it expecting to see Gaz. What they saw was no one at all. "Down here" a voice said up to them. They looked down to see a small robot looking up at them. "You guys must be the new recruits Gaz was talking about. I'm Mimi, and I'll be the one who'll take you guys down I guess." "Wait, down?" Nny asked confused.

"Yes, down. There's more to this house than meets the eye." Mimi told them as she began walking away. She turned back to them, "Well come on! We don't have all day!" The three snapped to their senses and followed her in. She led them to the trashcan in the kitchen and stepped on the little pedal it had. The lid flipped up and she turned to them. "Okay, jump in" she said. They looked at her like she was some freaky little robot. Oh wait, she is. Nevermind.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "It's a chute. It leads right to the underground area. Now who's first?" she asked. "You!" She pointed to Pepito. "Who me?" he asked obliviously. "No, your great aunt Sally. Of course you!" Pepito looked into the trash can chute. "Well okay" he said and jumped into it. "You! The tall, lanky one!" she said pointing at Nny. "You next!" Nny shrugged his shoulder and jumped in. "Now you. Chop, chop! I want to get this over with!" Squee looked into the trashcan.

"Oh for God's sake!" Mimi exclaimed irritably and grabbed Squee's legs lifting him up and dropping him head first into the trashcan chute. Squee felt air rushing up past his face as he hurtled down the chute. He landed on his face quite painfully at the end and then felt more pain surge through his back as Mimi came out of the chute and landed on his back. He groaned from the soreness of his face and back as he began to get up.

He looked around at his surroundings trying to get an idea of where he was. It looked like some sort of laboratory like from a sci-fi movie or something. "What is this place?" Squee said. "This is Zim's true home and our headquarters" a voice behind the three said. They turned around to see Gaz walking up to them. "Gaz! What the hell is up with all this?" Squee asked his friend. "I mean I've seen some fucked up stuff in my life, but this takes the whole cake!" "Well that's partly why I called you three to Zim's house instead of mine." Gaz told them. "Come with me I'll explain everything."

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"So you're telling us that this friend of yours, Zim, is really an alien?" Squee asked Gaz later as the group walked down the hallway. "That's right." "And he originally was here to take over the planet and enslave or destroy humanity?" "Uh huh." "And that you have another alien on your team who is now Dib's girlfriend?" "Yep." "And you're currently waging war against the second most powerful man in the city because his daughter tried to kill you, and while getting revenge you'd also destroy her father's empire and kill two birds with one stone?" "Yeah, that's basically it." "Okay cool. When do we get to bust some freaking heads?"

Gaz stopped suddenly and turned to her friend. "Wait, you aren't shocked by any of this?" she asked. "Pffft! Why should I? My best friends the Anti-Christ and my adoptive father is an ex-serial killer with a mysterious, unknown past, and a major case of misanthropy. Besides, I've seen stranger." Squee had a point. No other person in the history of the world had a childhood as screwed up as his.

"Yeah, you're right. What about you two?" she said pointing at Pepito and Nny. "I'm in, as long as I can kill some of these guys slowly and engage in a little torture." Pepito said. "Yeah, it'll give me a good reason to kill again. I've needed a release for a while and this'll be perfect." Nny said. "Good. Well, I think it's time you guys met the rest of the crew." Gaz said to them. She turned and entered a code into the keypad behind her.

The door opened and she led the group into the room behind it. "This room here is the rec room/briefing room. In between missions, this is one of the rooms where you can unwind and relax. Before missions it serves as a briefing room where mission specs and info is given. We also have a snack bar, swimming pool, arcade, mini-golf course, and demolition go-kart course." "Whoa wait." Squee said. "Did you say, _demolition_ go-kart course? As in with lots of carnage?" "Yep." Gaz replied. "Sweet." "Heh, if you think that's sweet, then follow me."

She led them down several more hallways till they got to another doorway. Gaz typed in another code into another keypad at this door but also did a retina scan and a fingerprint scan. The door then opened up and she led them into a dark room. She flipped a light switch and the room was bathed in light. The three new recruits gaped in amazement at what lay before them. It was an armory, and not just any armory either. It was outfitted with every gun known to man dating back to the 30's. What's more it had weapons still being tested by the military and even weapons of alien origin. Plus, there were blades of all kinds, which made Nny drool.

"Whoa." Pepito said as he scanned the various weapons. "How did you guys get all these?" he asked. "It helps that my dad's the richest man in the city." Gaz said in a tone one might use when talking about the weather. "This is one of the largest armories in the country. There are enough weapons here to take over a small European nation without a "Sacre Bleu!" of protest." Gaz said. "My God! You have every kind of knife and sword known to man!" Nny said as he pressed his face against the glass of the case.

"Hey! Don't do that! I don't want to have to clean that again!" Gaz yelled at Nny. The lanky man pulled his face away from the glass. "Sorry, I got a little carried away Gaz." Nny apologized. "Eh, it's okay Nny. I'll have Dib clean it up later" she said. "Well you guys can gawk at these later. I need to introduce you to the others." The dark girl lead them out of the room making sure to turn off the lights and lock it up. She then lead them down more halls to wherever it was they were going.

'God! This place is just one giant labyrinth of hallways!' Squee thought to himself. 'If anybody got lost down here they'd probably starve to death before exploring 1/10th of the hallways down here.' 'Actually, they'd be dead before exploring 1/100th of the hallways down here' Gaz's voice said in Squee's head. 'How the hell are you doing that!' Squee exclaimed in his own head. 'It's just another one of the awesome powers I have discovered.' Gaz then turned to face the others when they reached a door.

"Now I should probably warn you guys. The others here can be a bit crazy sometimes" she warned them but then took at the three guys she was warning. "Then again…you'll fit in just fine." She turned and opened the door to the room. "I don't care if they're one of the best weapons you've invented! We're not sending a pack of rabid exploding weasels that give people bleeding ass sores _and_ gonorrhea at the same time in to take out the guards Zim!" Dib shouted at his alien friend. "But, but, Dib! Imagine the pain and suffering that we could inflict!" Zim argued. "Zim, weasels would stick out in a place like an underground base!" the boy argued.

"Um, I'm sorry to be interrupting this _riveting _conversation, but our new recruits are here." Gaz said interrupting the two arguing boys. Dib and Zim turned to face Gaz and the three behind her. "Sorry Gaz, we were caught up in our discussion." Dib apologized. "Zim thinks it'd be a good idea to send some of his exploding disease transmitting weasels into the enemy base."

"But it'd be a good idea! It would certainly catch them off guard!" Zim exclaimed trying to make his point. Gaz put her hand on her forehead. "Zim, it's just a bad idea to just send them into an underground base. I mean they'd stick out like a pacifist at an NRA meeting!" she said to Zim. "Besides, it'd be _much_ better if we were to sneak them in through the ventilation shafts or pack some of them into a crate and deliver it to them." Gaz added.

Dib's jaw dropped at his sister's readiness to side with Zim. Zim on the other hand grinned and playfully punched Dib on the shoulder. "See! Even your sister agrees with Zim!" he said letting some of his old side come out. "Anyway, let's get back on subject here!" Gaz said. She looked around the room for a bit before asking, "Where's Tak, Mimi, and GIR?" "We thought Mimi was with you guys." Dib said. Gaz realized that Mimi must've slipped away from their group while they were on their little tour.

"Well she couldn't have gotten very far." Gaz said. "Who couldn't have gotten very far?" Tak asked as she walked into the room. "Mimi, she got away from us and she's lost now." Gaz said. "Oh then this must be some _other_ female SIR unit talking with GIR." Tak said sarcastically. As if on cue GIR and Mimi came walking into the room. "Well, now that we have everyone rounded up here" Gaz began. "Squee, Nny, Pepito, this is Zim, Dib, GIR, and Mimi" she said pointing to them in that order.

"Zim is in charge of providing us with the technology and weapons we need. Tak over there is our communications expert and hacker. Dib is our mission planner. GIR and Mimi are our eyes in the sky. They monitor our environment and the dangers in it. And I try to split my duties between the group." Gaz explained. "And that's basically our group." Squee looked very impressed. "This is amazing Gaz" he said to her.

"Yes it is all so incredible and amazing. Ooooo!" Pepito said sarcastically. "Look, all I care about is killing people so that my father and I will have more souls to torture" the young Anti-Christ said agitatedly. Squee elbowed him in the stomach as a way to tell his friend to shut his piehole. "Just be glad you're my friend." Pepito muttered to Squee as he rubbed his stomach. "Now, we just need to figure out what you guys are going to do for the team." Dib said.

Gaz looked over the three. "Squee, you're in charge of stealth operations. Nny, you're in charge of close range weaponry maintenance. And Pepito, you're in charge of torture and interrogation" she told the three. The three seemed very satisfied with the positions they'd been given. "Okay then, training begins tomorrow. You guys can hang out here for the time being or go home. It's up to you." Gaz said before leaving the room. "Wow, I can see why you had a crush on her Squee. She's HOT!" Pepito said before being smacked by his friend.

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In the downtown area of the city, a tall building loomed over all the others. On the top floor, a Marshall Nelson sat in a large comfortable swivel chair looking out a large window overlooking the cityscape. He sat back with his hands folded as he thought. Behind him was Rocco. "So everything went according to plan?" Marshall said as he pulled a fine Cuban cigar out of a fancy wooden cigar box. He clipped the tip of it off and pulled a book of matches out. He yanked a match out and lit it using it to light his cigar and then taking a big puff.

"Yes sir Mr. Nelson. Those brats are good. The one that caught my eye especially though, was the Membrane girl. She seemed to be the most cunning and promising of them." Rocco said. Marshall turned to look at Rocco. "Rocco, need I remind you that we're trying to exterminate these brats! Not recruit them! They would oppose any offer we gave them. They have a sense of justice that can't be matched by any other person in the whole city." Marshall said.

He put his cigar out in the ashtray on his desk and got out of his seat. He walked over to the window and placed his hand on it, leaning against it. "This city _will_ _be_ _mine_. And I won't let a bunch of snot nosed brats stop me! I will seize power through any means necessary! I don't care if I'd have to sell my soul to the devil to do it, I will have this city" he said. "Understood sir. But, I don't think we can just randomly send our own men in to take the kids out." Rocco said.

A large malicious grin spread across Marshall's face. "Rocco…is JC available?" he asked his subordinate. Rocco looked puzzled, "Sir, are you sure we need to call _him_ in. I mean, we have other operatives we can call in." Marshall shook his head. "No, we need him. He's one of the best and he's ruthless." He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. "Hello?" came a low, ominous voice on the other end. "JC, it's Marshall. I've got a mission for you."

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Gaz had left the house to go get some fresh air and to go get a new CD from the record store downtown. She smiled to herself as she listened to The Misfits on her iPOD. She knew Squee, Pepito, and Nny would be valued new members to their cause. And hopefully, they'd still be able to play their show at The Pit on August 25th. She crossed the street and stood in front of her favorite indie music store: The Record Crypt. It had everything a music fan could want: CD's, vinyl records, posters, t-shirts, and other assorted band merchandise. They also carried DVD's and small toys along with magazines and some comic books.

Gaz loved this place to death and knew that whenever a new CD came out, they'd have it in stock when the other places didn't. She casually walked into the store with the overhead door activated bell chiming as she entered. This caught the attention of the clerk at the circular checkout counter in the center of the store. Her name was Jasmine, but Gaz had known her from the Internet as geminidragon76. When Gaz had begun shopping there, she and Jasmine became close friends and the two would talk sometimes while Jasmine worked.

"Hey Gaz. What brings you here?" Jasmine asked Gaz. "Hey Jasmine. I'm here to see if you have Transylvania 90210 by Wednesday 13." Gaz said to the clerk. "I'm pretty sure we do. Let me check" she said and went to look. After about a minute of waiting, Jasmine yelled to Gaz, "Yeah we've got it. Last copy even!" She walked back to the checkout counter and began punching in the info needed for the purchase. "So Gaz, I hear you and your band are playing The Pit on the 25th." Jasmine stated to Gaz as she scanned the CD's barcode.

Gaz chuckled a little at this. "Yeah, we are. I've kinda forgotten about that though. Been kinda busy recently." "I also heard of how some gangsters tried to kill the mayor at his sons birthday party, and that they were all killed except for one." Jasmine added. "Weren't you at the festival, Gaz?" she asked.

Gaz paused to quickly think up an answer. "Yeah. I didn't see much though." Jasmine's face fell. "Oh, I heard nobody really got a good look at the people who dispatched the gangsters. Most people cleared out of the area really quickly. I would love to find out who those guys were. Oh well," she said. "Your CD comes to…$15.68." Gaz handed Jasmine the money and took her CD from the clerk. "Don't worry Jazz," Gaz began. "You'll probably get to see them soon. In fact, they're probably closer than you think." The girl winked with a sly grin before leaving the store.

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AN: I'm sorry it's taken so long to update. I just haven't been very motivated lately. But here it is. And I hope you enjoy your cameo Gemini.


	20. The Slaughter House

How To Totally Rock!

AN: So yeah, the chapter's late and all. As stated before, there will only be 5 chapters after this one. I don't plan on writing a sequel for this particular story, but that doesn't mean someone else can't. That's right, I'm pulling a Tolkien, or Lovecraft, whichever. Point is, I'll let my readers expand upon my fan fictions story if they are willing. Just try to keep it faithful to what I established, because nothing sucks more than a thrown together sequel to a good movie (coughcougheveryCrowmovieafterthefirstcoughcough). Anyway, enjoy the much longer than normal chapter!

Punk References From Last Chapter: N/A

Characters Clothing For This Chapter:

Zim: Exploited t-shirt with jeans and steel-toed combat boots

Dib: T-Shirt that says "Drugs Are For Sluts And Losers" with black jeans and Converse sneakers

Gaz: Guitar Hero II t-shirt with camo cargo pants, Fullmetal Alchemist dogtags, and Vans sneakers

Tak: Trogdor The Burninator t-shirt with those kinds of jeans Pepito wore last chapter and Element sneakers

Squee: Legend of Zelda t-shirt with jeans and sneakers

Pepito: Murderdolls t-shirt with baggy jean shorts and Quicksilver shoes

Nny: "777: The Number of the Moose" t-shirt (one of my fave shirts of his) with his normal pants and boots

Word of Warning: This chapter will contain some things the religiously fanatic might find offensive. Please note that I too am a Catholic Christian and that this is a work of fiction meant to _entertain. Not a guidebook to life._ Anyone who can't understand that is a fucking moron. Also, there will be a graphic description of a horrific murders aftermath. So, if you have a weak stomach, don't read that part. Thank you…for nothing!

Last Chapter Name: The Vibrators song name (though I was going with The Exploited's version)

Chapter 20: The Slaughter House

It was a dark Saturday evening in the city. It would seem like the kind of night that a casino like the Lucky 7 would be open. However, on this night, the casino was closed. And despite what the management told people, it _wasn't_ for a "routine maintenance inspection" or anything else they could think of. No, it was because Ian was worried. He knew that _they_ were coming.

He had heard about what they had done to Roger and what they did to the assassins sent after the mayor. It also didn't help him calm down to know that they had two members who were Deep Black subjects and the other two were aliens with advanced technology and combat training.

However, he had _one thing_ keeping him from spazzing entirely, that JC was going to be arriving soon. As one of the best assassins out there, he was something to be feared. Ian stood in the middle of the lobby to his casino pacing furiously while occasionally checking his wrist watch. "Where is he?" he asked with a combined tone of nervousness and impatience. He then noticed a limo pull up to the front of the casino. "Finally! He's here!" Ian exclaimed as he ran out the front door to greet the man who would be protecting him.

As Ian reached the limo, a chauffeur walked to the back door of the vehicle. Opening it a tall man stepped out. "Welcome JC. I'm glad you were able to come." Ian said to the man. The man in question was, as stated before, tall, and also had a beard, brown hair that went a little past his shoulders and brown eyes. His appearance made him look remarkably like Jesus Christ. Which is exactly where his name, JC, came from.

To keep you from being confused, let me shed some light on this man. Originally, he was a Hispanic priest named Jesus Cortez. He was a seemingly kind priest on the outside, but on the inside he was anything but. He had close ties to the Mafia and they provided him with anything he could ask for. However, his mental health was deteriorating and it didn't help that he did heroin. Eventually, the drugs hallucinations combined with his worsening mental condition caused him to finally snap. He went on a rampage, killing many people before being caught and thrown into an asylum.

During his stay at said asylum, his poor mental condition made him hallucinate that the angel Gabriel came to him telling him he was actually Jesus Christ come back to Earth to kill many of the sinners who plagued the world. As such he let his hair grow out and grew a beard. After he was released, he was convinced by the Mafia to work for them as an assassin. He then became one of the most notorious and best assassins the Mafia ever had.

His insanity also works in his favor in that he's not afraid of death and is literally unable to feel pain. This combined with the fact that Marshall gave him some Deep Black during a meeting made him even more powerful. It made him an unstoppable killing machine. He was ranked as the most wanted man on every list of dangerous criminals in America. In short, he was the best person Marshall could think of for the job of dealing with the gang of teens who were putting a damper on his plans.

"It is a joy to be here Ian." JC said to the gangster he was talking to. JC was dressed in an expensive Italian suit with matching black slacks and shoes. "I've been told that some sinners need to be dealt with" he continued. "Yes, apparently the boss has been harassed by these troublemakers for a while now. They're going after each of his subordinates, and I'm next on their hit list."

JC put a hand on Ian's shoulder to calm him. "Do not worry. I have been sent by my father back here to destroy the sinners of this planet. You shall be safe." Ian bowed his head, "Thank you sir. Now please come with me. I shall give you great hospitality." The two then walked off to another room.

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A delivery van outside of the casino parks on the street across from it. A sign on its side reads: Steve's Delivery Service. Beneath that a slogan read: "If Steve can't deliver it, no one can!" A man and a woman both get out of the vehicle going to the back and open the back doors. The pull a couple large crates out from the large van, which is the size of a UPS delivery van. They put the large crates on a dolly and wheeled it across the street to the entrance. The male delivery person pushed a call button outside the entrance.

A security officer's voice came from the other end. "What is it?" the voice asked agitatedly. "Got a package delivery here" the delivery man said. "I don't remember their being a delivery tonight. C'mon in and I'll verify things." The sound of the doors unlocking was heard and the two wheeled the packages into the casino's lobby. The one thing that made this, the most interesting of the casinos in the city was the fact that it was also a hotel.

The lobby was quite a sight to behold. It had a large ornate fountain in the middle, a large glass chandlier, and a grand staircase that lead to the second floor where the casino was located. The two delivery people wheeled the cart in and stopped when they got to the fountain. A security guard came out from a door to their left. He was tall and muscular unlike the stereotypical fat, coffee drinking, donut eating, security guard.

He walked over to the two people and the boxes. "So these are the packages?" he asked. "Yes, it says here that they're to be delivered to a Mr. Ian Ferguson?" the female delivery person this time said. "In fact, if I could get your signature, then we'll be on our way." The security guard made his way over to the female who had a clipboard and pen to give him. His back was turned to the male who, without alerting the guard, pulled out a retractable baton. He lifted it over his head and clubbed the guard, knocking him out.

The female then pulled her hat off revealing it to be Gaz where as the other was Zim who also took off his hat. The two then pulled off their phony uniforms and took the crates off the dolly. Zim then grabbed a crowbar off of the dolly and pried the lid off of the one crate. "Sorry about the cramped quarters guys." Zim said. A hand came out of the crate as Dib and then Tak got out of the box.

"It's okay. It wasn't all that cramped in there." Tak said as she dusted herself off. Gaz walked over to the other crate to pry its lid off. However, as she was just about to, a knife blade suddenly jutted out of the top of the box before it was ripped off and thrown to the side. Johnny stuck his head out of the box. "Christ almighty! It's hot in there!" he exclaimed as he climbed out. Pepito and Squee were the next two to come out.

"Looks like everyone's here." Dib said. Zim picked up the unconscious security guard and put him back in the security room. Gaz had already begun the cleanup, using an Obliterator to vaporize the dolly and the boxes so as not to leave any evidence. Pepito was looking around the lobby and let out a low whistle. "Damn. This place is pretty fucking ritzy. A little to rich for my blood, but I could see why someone might wanna stay here."

"Focus Pepito, we're here for a reason. And it's not to admire the architecture." Squee said. "Who said I was admiring anything? I just said this place looked ritzy. Is that a crime?" Gaz shook her head at the two bickering boys. "Mimi, where are we supposed to go?" Gaz said. Mimi and GIR who had stayed behind in the van were using it as a sort of covert ops center. "The best route to go is forward up the staircase and through the casino." Mimi instructed them. "Got it. Alright guys let's go. And make sure not to make any loud noises." Gaz commanded. They immediately departed the area, leaving not a single trace that they were there.

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At the top of the casino/hotel was Ian's massive penthouse suite. It was sort of like the one Biff had in Back To The Future Part II. You know the one. Anyway, Ian was sitting behind his large mahogany desk, with JC sitting across from him. Ian pulled a large Cuban cigar out of a pine box full of them on his desk. He ran it under his nose smelling it. "Ahh, there's nothing like the smell of a fresh Cuban cigar" he said as he clipped off the tip.

He then took out a small box of matches, pulled one out and struck it against the side of the box. He then lit up his cigar with it and took a long drag from it. He then exhaled the smoke and grinned. "Now, onto business then. We don't know exactly when or how these little snot nosed punks are going to be attacking. It could be tomorrow with a covertly placed bomb, it could be next week with a sniper attack. So, I need you to protect me."

JC looked at Ian with a puzzled look on his face. "Excuse me Ian. Did you say, protection? I'm an avenger meant to do God's work. Not a guard. I'm afraid you'll have to look for protection elsewhere." The Jesus look alike then got up and began to leave. "No, please JC. You're the best there is! I need someone like you! You're already here and I don't know when they'll attack! Please, just protect me until I can find another bodyguard!" JC turned back around and looked at the man. He took pity on him, and decided to help him out. "Okay Ian. I will protect you, as my father would want it to be done." Ian bowed to him saying, "Oh thank you! Thank you!"

Just then, JC sensed something amiss. So as to not make a scene and worry Ian he decided to be very discreet about it. "Ian, I'm feeling very, antsy. I'm going to take a walk." Ian looked at him a little surprised at first but then decided to just let him go. "Fine, just please don't wander to far away." JC nodded in agreement before leaving the room. 'Something seems wrong and I intend to find out what.' JC thought to himself as he walked down the halls.

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Down on the first floor, the group was making its way through the hallways very stealthily. According to early surveillance of the casino, it didn't have an underground portion like the last one did. Rather, the drug labs were tucked away in the back away from prying eyes. It was ingenious how they were hidden. The door was made to look like a section of wall so as not to raise suspicion.

The only way to open it would be to open a small panel in the lower left corner of the wall. This too was completely unnoticeable to most people due to its location, size, and disguise. Behind the panel was a small keypad that required a key code. After it was entered the door would open allowing the person in. Because of this, the only people who knew of the labs were Ian, his subordinates, and now the group.

"Mimi, are we getting close to it?" Tak asked over her communicator. "Yeah. You guys are getting very close to it." Mimi said to the group over their communicators. The group then turned a corner and Mimi came back over their communicators. "Stop! This is the wall." The group turned to the wall on their left. "No, the other one." Mimi said. The group turned to the other wall and looked it over.

"This is such an ingenious idea." Dib said. "Who'd think to try and look over every inch of a wall for an entrance? It would take far to much time, manpower, and money for police to look over every wall in a place this big." Zim, who had gone over to the wall, was searching it for the hidden panel. He found it in the lower left corner of the wall and popped it open. "Okay Mimi, what's the code?" Zim asked.

In the van, Mimi furiously typed something up on her keyboard. "Zim, the password is 82589" she told him. Zim entered the numerical sequence into the keypad. A noise was heard and a section of the wall slid back. Zim got up after shutting the panel and looked in the room. He motioned for the others to follow him in and the door shut behind them.

The room was actually dark, making it impossible to see in front of you. "Someone find a light switch." Dib ordered. The group then began fumbling their way around in the darkness looking for a light switch. "Can't even see my own fricking hand in front of my face." Pepito mumbled to himself. "Don't see how I'm gonna find a…Whoa found something! It's really soft."

Pepito then felt a sharp slap connect with his face. "That's my breast you perv!" Gaz shouted in the dark. "Right, my bad." Pepito said. "I think I found it!" Johnny said somewhere in the darkness. Just then the room was flooded with light. They were in an empty room which accounted for the fact that none of them had bumped into any tables or anything.

"Well this is kinda weird. Let's see if there are any other rooms besides this one." Zim said to the others. They made their way to the other side of the room and opened the door. Zim stuck his head out to look around for any guards or anything. The coast was clear, just plain white hallway as far as he could see.

"Okay, the coast is clear, guys." Zim said to the others. When all of them had left the room, Zim stopped and turned to the group. "Guys, I think it'd be best if we were to split up" he said to them. "We'll split into three groups. Squee, Nny, and Pepito, are group one. Dib and Tak are group two, and Gaz and I are group three. Any questions?" When no one answered, Zim said, "Good, then let's go. If anyone runs into trouble call the rest of us. We can find you on the map Mimi put on our wrist communicators." After that the groups split up to go their separate ways.

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Back with JC, he was walking down the hallways of the hotel. He couldn't quite figure it out, but something was amiss. He had a hunch that it had something to do with the drug labs so he decided to check those out. He walked up to one of the walls with the hidden keypad panel and entered the code into said panel. The wall opened up allowing him access inside.

He entered through the opening into the hallway beyond it. He decided a quick check of the halls and rooms couldn't hurt. He then strolled down the halls looking for one of the automated security rooms in this section of the building. He found one and went inside to check the security cameras for anything suspicious.

He sat in front of one of the screens and began watching the tape with all recorded activity on it. When there wasn't anything on that tape, he went to the next. He did this for awhile until he got to the tape for one of the cameras in a hallway on the other side of the building. He saw nothing out of the ordinary for a bit but then saw a group of people enter the hallway through one of the doors. He watched them converse before splitting up. "Bingo", he said to himself before leaving the room.

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Group 1: Nny, Pepito, and Squee

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Pepito asked. "Anything that looks remotely like a drug lab, duh." Squee said. Johnny had just come back out from one of the rooms. "Nothing in there either. Dammit, where can they be?" he said. "Well I guess we just keep searching then." Squee said. The three kept walking down the hallway completely unaware of a presence behind them.

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Group 2: Dib and Tak

Dib and Tak were also having problems trying to find what they were looking for. "For Christ's sake!" Tak exclaimed. "Just where the hell are these things! We've been searching and searching for the past two hours!" Dib knew his girlfriend was frustrated beyond all belief. Even though he didn't show it, he was feeling the same way too. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Just calm down Tak. We'll find something eventually." Dib said softly to her. Tak looked at him, "I know, I'm just really tired of looking" she said. "Don't worry we'll find something soon." Dib assured her as something watched from around the corner behind them.

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Group 3: Zim and Gaz

Zim and Gaz had actually covered more ground than the other two groups in the building. However, that didn't necessarily mean they had found anything yet. Zim was lost in his thoughts though as they were both walking down the hallway. 'Maybe I should tell Gaz I love her now. I know it's probably not the best time to say something like that, but we're alone, and I don't know how much longer we'll still be alive. Maybe I should go for it.' "Um, Gaz?" he began. "What Zim?" Gaz replied, peeking into another room only to find it empty. "Well, I've been, thinking, and well I would just like to say…" he was cut short by a voice on their comlinks. "Guys, come quick. We found something." Dib's voice said. "Okay, come on Zim." Gaz said running off to where Dib and Tak were. "Coming" he said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

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When everyone had arrived at the place where Dib and Tak were, Dib began to speak. "Guys, what I am about to show you is something very shocking." He opened the door behind him and turned on the light. The sight that they saw was horrifying, almost impossible to describe. An easy way to describe it would be well…remember that scene in the Akira manga? The one where the military personnel find the body of the guy who was guarding Tetsuo? It was like that.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll try and explain what they were looking at. It was the body of a man. Or at least, it _was_ the body of a man. Almost all, of the torso was gone, the only parts of the torso left were to small strips of body with the arms still attached. There were fragments of bone and blood _everywhere_. Organs had been thrown about, some still stuck to the walls. Brain matter could be seen dripping from the ceiling.

It was…disgusting. It was so horrific, even Johnny was having trouble keeping himself from puking his guts out. "Jesus fucking Christ Almighty!" exclaimed Squee. "That's disgusting, even for me!" Johnny said. "Ditto." Pepito agreed. "Whatever did this wasn't human." Dib began. He walked into the room over to the corpse, or what was left of it. "Look here, the way this guy was ripped up was obviously not caused by a human being."

The others looked at where he was pointing at, "The edges of his skin are jagged and uneven. This means he obviously was not cut with a blade but rather ripped apart. As in by bare hands." The others were beginning to get freaked out. Dib however, continued without paying them any heed. "It also seems that whatever it is that killed him drained all the blood from his body somehow. That is why there's so much blood everywhere. My guess as to how long he's been dead, about an hour and a half."

Everyone blanched at this. "Then that means…" Zim began but couldn't finish do to fear for the answer. "It is still nearby. From hear on out, we are not to split up, okay?" Dib said. "Yes", was the unanimous reply from everyone with him. "Alright then, now that that is settled, I must show you the _other_ thing Tak and I found." Dib walked over to a section of the wall in the room. He then slid a piece of the wall away and put another key code unknown to the others into the keypad behind it.

The wall opened to reveal a very short hallway with an elevator at the end. "Apparently, there _is_ an underground section of the building. However, if they were able to keep it hidden from us, and whatever it was that killed that guy is still on the loose, I'm guessing that whatever awaits us down there will not be pretty, or easy to kill." "It doesn't matter Dib," Gaz said. "We're ready for anything, right guys?" she asked the others. "Right!" the others replied. "Then let's go." Dib said. He hit the button next to the elevator door, opening it up. The group piled in and Dib hit the button on the inside of the elevator. It was slightly cramped inside and only a dim, flickering light illuminated it. The elevator then began its descent into the darkness.

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AN: Okay, I'm stopping this chapter here. I was gonna make it longer but I decided to not make you guys have to wait any longer. So here it is. And yes I added some horror elements to this chapter. Big deal! Well anyway, read and review motherfuckers!


	21. Army of Zombies

How To Totally Rock!

AN: Dunanana! I'm back! That's right boys and girls, I have returned from the proverbial grave known as "combined laziness and writers block". I meant to write an outline for this chapter but I forgot and since I'm on the computer I thought to myself, "I am writing this next frigging chapter even if it kills me." So this will be, the what, twenty-first chapter? Yeah that sounds right. Anyway, this month is bitchin' so far. Saw Spiderman 3 already, and 28 Weeks Later. Going to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie when it comes out, and I'm planning on getting the new Linkin Park album. Hopefully I'll be able to go to the Projekt Revolution tour this year and see Linkin Park, Mindless Self Indulgence, and My Chemical Romance. Well anyway, here's a chapter!

Last Chapter Name: Balzac song name

No Character clothes due to this being a continuation of the events from the last chapter.

Chapter 21: Army of Zombies

Ever wonder what'd be like to be blind, to not be able to see anything at all? It's a morbid thought sure, but you have to wonder what it'd be like to be able to see everything clearly one minute, and the next, it's all black. That's exactly what was happening with the group in the elevator. The elevator was moving at an _extremely _slow pace down the shaft. The light in the elevator had flickered out completely shortly after their descent leaving them in complete darkness.

And this wasn't the darkness your eyes could get adjusted too. You literally couldn't tell if you had your hand in front of your face or not. _That's_ how dark it was. "Is this God forsaken thing ever going to reach the bottom?" Pepito said irritably in the back of the crammed elevator car. "I'm seriously beginning to wonder that myself." Dib said somewhere in the front.

"How long has it been?" Pepito asked Dib. "Let me see, oh wait I can't, because it's too damn dark!" Dib yelled at the other boy. "I meant an estimation smart ass." "In my opinion, a little over an hour." A groan was heard from one of the people crammed into the tiny car. "Does anyone have a light we could use?" Gaz said. "Yeah I do." Zim said as he produced a small light, which just barely lit up the small space.

"Christ! How much longer is this thing gonna take to get to the bottom?" Tak asked. "I wish it would just speed up already." "You gotta be careful what you wish for Tak," Zim began. "You just might get it." At that exact moment, the car came to a bone-jarring stop. "What the fuck was that?!" Squee exclaimed. "Did we reach the bottom?" Johnny asked. "I don't know." Gaz responded.

Suddenly, the car made a jarring movement moving the group around a bit. "Okay, what the hell?" Pepito said. Another one followed along with a groaning sound. A thought suddenly hit Zim. "Oh God, the cable's snapping!" he yelled. His point was hammered home when a snapping noise was heard and the group felt the elevator car rushing to the ground. "Everyone hang on!" Zim shouted as he pulled a device out.

He activated it causing a protective force field to envelope them. The car hit the bottom as an ear piercing sound of steel being crushed and twisted rung out. When the dust settled, Zim deactivated the force field. "That was a close one." Squee said. Zim's force field punched a hole in the steel when the elevator collapsed around them.

He noticed the cable though, lying next to them. He took a look at it and his eyes widened in shock. The cable apparently had been chewed through. By what he hadn't the faintest clue. Dib had already made his way up to the door. He stuck a piece of debris into the crack and pried it open.

What greeted those in the group was a dingy, dimly lit hallway. It appeared damp and a strange mold seemed to be growing on the walls in certain places. The only light was the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling right outside the elevator. "Zim give me your light." Dib said. The green boy handed it to Dib and he turned it on allowing them to see the rest of the way down the hallway.

All they could see was that the hallway continued for a while and then split into two halves. One going right, and the other going left. "So what do we do?" Johnny asked. "We go forward." Dib said as he stepped out of the door. He began to walk down the hall for a while when he realized no one was behind him. He turned to the others, "Are you guys coming or what?" he questioned.

The others then began leaving the smashed elevator, and began following Dib to the end of the hallway. When they all got to the end, Dib checked out the left and right paths to see which way they should go. Both ways looked identical. They were both fairly short hallways that had an electronically encoded locked door. The only way to get in would be to do a handprint scan, a retina scan, and to know a number sequence.

"Well, which way guys?" Dib asked. "We should go left." Gaz said. "Anyone disagree?" Dib asked to no response. "Then we'll go left." They made their way to the door at the end of the hallway when Dib noticed something. "Shit. Somebody smashed the keypad. There's no way to get in here." "I guess it's the other door then." Zim said. This one luckily didn't have anything broken. However, something was weird about the door. It was already opened slightly. Which considering it was an automated sliding door made of six inch thick reinforced steel plating, was odd.

"Something's not right about this place." Dib said. "I'll say. When was the last time they washed these walls? They have this weird fungus growing on them." Pepito said. "Yeah, I noticed that too." Tak said. Zim walked over to the wall and decided to scrape some of the fungus off for testing later. The group then ventured into the door which apparently brought them to a sort of lobby styled area.

There were four doors in this one, two in front of them and one on each side of the room. Zim checked the doors on the wall they were directly facing. "They're locked," he stated. Gaz went over to the door on the left side of the room and Johnny went to the other one on the right side. They were both unlocked and there didn't appear to be any threat coming from either one.

"So which one should we go through?" Squee asked. No one knew, it was unknown, which one of the doors, lead them closer to where they needed to be. Or if they actually lead them _farther_ from where they needed to go. They knew they couldn't split up, that was out of the question. They couldn't ask Mimi for help since something was blocking the satellite from locating the underground area. The best course would be to explore a little of each corridor and then determine from what they had seen up to a point would be enough incentive to continue, or to use the other one.

"Okay, we'll just explore a little of both corridors as a group and then take it from there." Dib said to the group. The others didn't seem to object. They explored both of the corridors and when they went back to the lobby, they had to decide. The corridor on the left went past a large window that looked into a big room with tables, medical instruments, and shelves of chemicals. The other corridor went past a bunch of laboratories.

Gaz could of sworn she saw something move through the window on a door in that corridor, but the others said it was probably just a rat considering the state of condition the place was in. "Alright guys." Gaz said to the others. "We have to vote for which one we take. Since there are seven of us, we can't have a tie. So…" Gaz then walked over to a desk against the wall and took some paper and a pen off of it. "We write our names and which one we want to take on a piece of paper."

Gaz then handed everyone a piece of paper and they passed the pen around till everyone had written an answer. When that was done, they all gave the votes to Gaz who unfolded each paper and read the contents. "Okay, in a score of four to three, we take the left corridor." Gaz said. "You heard her guys, left corridor it is." Zim said. The group then began walking into the left corridor, with Gaz being the last one through the door.

She stopped short. Did she just here something? Nah couldn't be. 'I'm probably just freaked because this looks like The Hive from the first Resident Evil movie,' she thought. She then ran down the corridor to catch up with the others, who due to being out of earshot, didn't hear the scratching and moaning coming from the locked doors.

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"What kind of place is this?" Dib asked to no one in particular. They were currently in a lab of some sort, looking around the area. They stumbled upon the particular lab when Squee said he thought he heard a noise from inside the room. They didn't find anything so far in the room except some bizarre chemicals and a large amount of blood spattered all over the room. There were bloody handprints on certain areas and a trail of blood lead into another room connected to the current one.

This was actually discovered by Zim. "Guys, there's a trail of blood leading to another door," he told them. He walked over to the door and put his head to it. He could hear footsteps on the other side. "Guys!" he whispered loudly enough for them to hear. "There's a person on the other side!" Everyone got his or her weapons ready in case of a hostile attack.

Zim pulled out a sub-machine gun and prepared himself. He hit the switch to open the door, and looked inside. All that seemed to be in the room was a lone scientist. His back was turned but he appeared to be just wandering around. Not wanting to take any chances, Zim raised his weapon.

"Sir!" he called. "Put your hands in the air!" The man's head then rose a little at this and he began to turn around. "Sir, I said to raise your…" Zim stopped short when the man turned around fully and showed his face. Or rather, _what was_ _left_ of his face? The whole area around his mouth had the skin torn off leaving bloody muscle. One of his ears was missing apparently, looking to have been ripped off. His jaw hung slack jawed, and his left eye was hanging out of his head.

Zim pulled the trigger on his gun to try and put the man out of his misery. The gun fired a volley of bullets at its target, ripping through its skin like paper. Blood came out in little squibs as the shots hit their mark. Only one problem seemed to rear its ugly head, the man still stood. He then let out an inhuman snarl and lunged at Zim.

Zim, taken by surprise, fell over when the attacker jumped him. The two began wrestling as the scientist began trying to bite Zim. Gaz over come by realization of what was attacking Zim, ran over and swung her shotgun into the things head, hard enough to knock it off of Zim. It then snarled at Gaz before it's head was violently eviscerated by a shotgun blast delivered by Gaz.

Zim got up from the floor, "Thanks Gaz I'm glad you…" He was cut short by Gaz pointing her shotgun at him, which surprised everyone, _especially_ Zim. "Gaz, what are you doing?" he asked her. "Did it bite you?" was her reply. "What?" Zim questioned. "I said did it bite you?" she asked again. "No, it didn't bite me." Zim said with an irritated tone to his voice. Gaz checked him over before deciding he was telling the truth.

"Gaz, what the hell was that for?" Dib asked his sister. She spun around to face the others, "Are you blind?" she said. She pointed to the freshly decapitated corpse, "Isn't it obvious what is going on? The mangled but still moving body, the snarl, the attempt to bite, aren't they all clear signs as to what we are up against?" The others were beginning to get what she was hinting at, but let her continue to see if their theory was confirmed. "Zombies guys. Just plain and simple," she said.

Everyone gulped of course. They had seen zombie movies, and they knew the rules. Get bit, and become one of them, that the only way to kill one is to damage or completely destroy the brain, that zombie blood was very infectious, and that zombies were normally slow moving. Of course, considering what they had seen, they realized that the zombies they'd be facing would most definitely _not_ be the slow moving type.

"Judging from the state of filth accumulated and the dried blood, this might have begun a couple of weeks ago. But this is just an estimation." Gaz said to the others. "And if that's the case, than there are going to be more of these fuckers around." The others, excluding Gaz, Johnny, and Pepito, were visibly shaken by this news. "There's no getting around this guys. We can't just leave this place, if any of these things get up top and into the city, game over." Gaz continued.

"Gaz's right." Zim said. "We can't abandon the mission. If this isn't completed, the consequences would be disastrous." The others seemed to realize this and silently agreed to continue on. Gaz and Zim pushed through the group back into the hallways. While in the hallway, Gaz turned to Zim, "Thank you." "For what?" Zim asked feigning obliviousness. "You know what, for agreeing with me despite your fear." Gaz said to him. Zim tried to act tough though and denied vehemently that he was afraid.

Gaz knew Zim better than that though, and knew he was just trying to act tough. "Zim you should know me well enough by now that, that sort of thing won't fool me." Zim sighed before turning to look away from Gaz and instead look at the wall. "I know, I _am_ scared, I just find it extremely hard still to show it." He then turned back to Gaz, "I'm especially scared because, I'm afraid I'll die before I get to tell you something."

This of course caught Gaz's attention as she cocked her brow and asked, "What?" Zim was, of course, afraid that she would ask that. "Well, it's something pretty personal. It's hard for me to explain," he explained. Gaz folded her arms, "Try me," she said to the alien boy. Zim scratched the back of his head, "Well, ever since I came to this dirt ball planet, I thought all humans were just pathetic, moronic, ignorant meatbags. Actually, I still do think that about a lot of people. But that's not the topic, I always thought that then about all humans _except_ _one_. You."

Gaz was surprised a bit by this. Before she could say anything though, Zim continued. "You always struck me as different because of your being a loner back then. You didn't have many friends besides Squee who I only just found out about recently, and I found that odd due to my studies saying humans sought companionship. What amazed me more was your absolute abhorrence for the human race. I had never before seen a being hate its own race and that fascinated me. It made me take an interest in finding out more about you, but I got forgot all about that when I was told my whole mission was a lie. It wasn't until I got to befriend you that I got to know you better."

At this point it was impossible for Gaz to hide her blush, but Zim continued as if he didn't notice it. "I then realized over the past few years that as I got to know you better, that my feelings for you, which started out as being interested into something more. It's very hard for me to say this, but all in all what I'm trying to say is, well…I love you Gaz Membrane." Gaz's mouth hit the floor. She couldn't think or speak for a few seconds; her brain had just completely shut down. Zim noticed and began to get worried. "Gaz are you okay?" he asked. "FINALLY!" the girl in front of him screamed before grabbing him and pulling him in for a lip-crushing kiss.

When they parted after a few seconds, (which disappointed Zim), she looked him in the eyes and said, "Do you know how fucking long I've waited for you to tell me that? I thought I'd have to pull you aside and just begin violently making out with you for you to finally get a freaking hint. But that doesn't matter now." She then pulled him in for another long passionate kiss. After what seemed like hours, the two separated from their kiss to look at one another. "Looks like your cute green ass is mine now." Gaz said to Zim.

The Irken boy grinned, and said in a seductive whisper to Gaz, "Likewise". He then gave her butt a little squeeze, which made Gaz blush and then grin. "Rawr, you are feisty! It's a good thing for both of us that I like 'em that way." Zim chuckled, "Well when we finish I could show you just how feisty I can be," he said. "I'd like that." Gaz said. They then began to kiss again when a voice said, "Ahem!" behind them. The two spun around to see the others standing behind them. "Get a room you two!" Tak said jokingly. Pepito had a perverted grin on his face, "Hey if you guys are gonna get freaky, at least let me tape it to sell," he said which earned him an elbow in the gut again from Squee. The new couple just grinned at each other, "Sorry guys. Now let's get going." Zim said.

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A sort of presence seemed to emanate from the subterranean halls of the laboratory. It was one that could inspire feelings of dread in even the bravest of beings. It was something rarely emitted in large quantities. The only person known to be able to emit an aura of this magnitude was Gaz Membrane. And that was only when angered or annoyed. Considering she was neither at the moment, it was a frightening thought to think that there was _someone else_ in the labyrinthine corridors that held that sort of insanely incredible power. There was, however and his name could be summed up in just two simple letters: J.C.

The Jesus doppelganger, sans the holiness, had made his way into the underground catacombs right after the group had. He had followed them around the hallways above ground and was currently following after them still. However, despite his powers he had still managed to get himself lost in the long twisting halls. It would be almost impossible for him to catch up with them now. Unless…no! It was against his beliefs to do something like that let alone think it. But, he _needed_ to find the sinners desperately and it was the only way to get them quickly.

That was all the reason he needed. He then closed his eyes and cleared his mind. Images began to flash through his mind at incredible speeds appearing as multi-colored blurs. Finally, he found what he was looking for. He saw an image of the group in a large computer lab, several hallways away. He grinned, as long as no more of those "abominations of the Dark Lord Satan" aka the zombies tried to attack him, he'd be there rather quickly. He cackled to himself as he made his way towards the group of heroes.

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The group had just entered a large computer lab after having just dispatched a few more zombies and decided to hide there for awhile as more zombies were coming and the heavy steel door would keep the monsters out for quite awhile. The group decided to take a rest for little bit and try and formulate a plan. The group then split apart to wander around the large room. Zim had wandered over to a computer because he wanted to see if he could find out just what the hell the scientists were doing that caused zombies to begin popping up.

He sat down behind one of the computers and moved the mouse to see if it was on. The screen went back on out of its sleep mode showing that the computer hadn't logged the user out. Gaz came over and sat down next to him, "What're you doing?" she asked. "Trying to figure all this zombie shit out." Zim replied. He was looking through the various files on the computer trying to figure out what was causing all this. When he got to the last file on the computer he found that it was encrypted and would not open.

"Damn, I need a password to get into this thing," he said. "It's going to take me awhile to hack the server." "Actually, let me." Gaz offered as she took the keyboard and began rapidly typing in a seemingly random combination of numbers and letters. Surprisingly enough, when she hit the enter button, an "access accepted" message appeared on the screen. Zim looked over at Gaz with a look of disbelief on his face. "How did you manage to do that?" he asked amazed. Gaz just shrugged, I've hacked into computers like this before, and codes usually involve a supposedly random combination of letters and numbers. The numbers in a sequence like this are usually all primes, and the letters are usually associated with an even number. I then calculated the probability of the numbers and letters in a sequence hence I got the code figured out. And the guy who used this computer left a sticky note with it on the side of the monitor."

Zim craned his head to look around at the side of the computer. Sure enough, it had the sticky note in question on it. 'How did I miss _that_?' Zim thought. Well no matter, he had a job to do and he didn't need senseless distractions to deviate him from his mission. He then opened the files contents and began reading them. His eyes began to widen at what he was reading. "What?" Gaz asked.

"It says here that the group in this lab were trying to find out the effects of Deep Black on various bacteria and viruses. Most of them yielded the same effect: the destruction of the bacteria or virus. However, some viruses did have different results. The most outstanding results were held when the chemical was introduced to a cell taken from a cancerous tumor. The chemical mutated the cancer and actually caused the cell to regenerate." Zim scrolled down some more to show pictures and more text.

"The scientists thought that they could apply this newly mutated virus to some of Marshall's men as a way of healing them or to give them regenerative abilities. Unfortunately, they never expected what would happen next. They gave the virus to an injured crony of Marshall's and would see what would happen to him. The virus apparently traveled straight to his brain and began to take a hold of it, apparently growing an extra lobe on it. The man still died and the perplexed scientists were about to shut down the project as a failure when their subject apparently began to move again. The scientists were amazed as the EKG's still said he was showing no pulse and was clinically dead. But their amazement turned to horror, when the subject got ran over to and bit into one of the scientist's jugular. The man ripped his head back tearing a chunk of flesh from the man's throat. The subject was shot repeatedly, but the bullets failed to subdue him until a round hit him in the head. The guards investigated the dead mans carcass, completely forgetting about the scientist who rose and bit one of the guards."

"The Virus continued to spread as scientists and guards tried to escape. The doors were locked down though and the scientists and guards were doomed to being either devoured, or infected by the zombies." But Zim's eyes widened at something else he saw. "They also were able to mutate E. Coli and administered it to animals. They apparently mutated them, but not much else is known about them." The two were astounded and disturbed by what they had just discovered.

They had no idea all this had happened in the underground lab and were freaked. They were about to tell the others when Dib said, "Hey guys…listen." The group listened and didn't seem to hear anything. "I don't hear anything." Johnny said. "Exactly, I wonder what happened to the zom…" Dib was cut off by the sound of a hole being blown in the wall. When the dust settled, J.C. stood in the rubble with a sadistic grin on his face. "I've found you!" he exclaimed.

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AN: Okay well here is a new chapter. I was going to have the fight against J.C. and some more in depth zombie carnage already, but I decided to just give you guys a new chapter and to stop being a cock tease. Oh and I finally had Zim and Gaz admit their feelings so there'll be more ZAGR in upcoming chapters. Well, till next time guys and girls!


	22. Voices of the Dead

How To Totally Rock!

AN: I'm back, suckers! It's summer vacation for me! And we all know what that means…right? You don't? Jesus…It means I have more time to write. You get it now? You do? Good. Anywho, I'll be updating my stuff faster now that I have more time again. However, I may get a job so that may impair the creation of a new chapter. Sucks I know, but hey, I get money. Can't go wrong with that now can you? I'm going to actually re-write some chapters so as to edit the story to make more sense and have a little continuity. Also, geminidragon76 drew me an amazing new ZAGR pic on her Deviant Art page. If you don't remember it, it's jasminealexandra. I'd just like to point out also, that there will be a graphic description of being eaten alive and a slightly steamy scene between Zim and Gaz which I've decided to base on geminidragon76's picture. I'm not gonna put a warning for them in the story since that would interrupt the flow of the plot. Besides, if you really need an indication as to when something you might not find enjoyable is about to happen, then you probably shouldn't read this. Anyway, the battle between the gang and J.C. begins in 5…4…3…2…1.

Last Chapter Name: Lars Frederickson and the Bastards song name

Chapter 22: Voices of the Dead

J.C. had burst into the room through the wall of all places. He stood amongst the rubble on the ground and smiled maliciously at the group. Behind him it could clearly be seen that corpses and blood littered the hallway. "I finally found you!" he exclaimed to the group. "Dude, who the hell are you!" exclaimed Pepito. "I am your executioner! I am the most holy Son of God. I am Jesus Christ!" J.C. exclaimed. Everyone looked at him with a "WTF" kind of look on their face.

"Dude, you're not Jesus." Pepito said. "Of course I am heathen! Do you doubt that I, am the Son of God!" J.C. once again exclaimed. "Uh, yeah. I mean I'd know the real Jesus when I saw him. You're just an insane little man who _thinks_ he is Jesus. Emphasis on the word thinks." J.C. pointed at Pepito after he said this. "You shall pay for speaking out against the Son of God! You shall be smitten and sent to Hell!"

Pepito shook his head in disbelief, "You moron. You don't need to send me to hell. I can visit it whenever I want since my dad's the "manager" so to speak." J.C. lifted a shaking finger at Pepito. "You mean you're the…" "Anti-Christ, yes I am." J.C. looked dumbfounded at the boy in front of him. He then began laughing, at first to himself then, as it grew louder, to everyone in the room. "Oh, this shall be easy. Six mortals and the Anti-Christ, oh you shall be no match for the power of the Son of G…" POW! Gaz's fist collided with J.C.'s face sending him flying into the nearest wall.

"Fuck! Do you ever shut up!" the girl bellowed at him. "I mean c'mon! You're not Jesus! Stop proclaiming yourself as something your not and just fight already!" J.C. stood up from where he had landed after hitting the wall. "Very well little girl, have at you!" he shouted as he rushed Gaz only to have her disappear form in front of his face. "What the…where did she go?" "Above you dipshit!" came a voice from above as Gaz's fist collided with his head as she dove down on him.

J.C. hit the floor face first due to the power of the punch with a sickening crack. Gaz stood over the body of her opponent glaring down at him. "You can get up now, I'm not going to fall for that old trick," she said to him. J.C. then began to lift his head out of the small pool of blood that was forming on the ground under his head. He lifted his head showing it covered in blood with still bleeding wounds that were healing over as he stood till they were gone in a matter of seconds.

"I knew it. You have Deep Black in yourself too I see." Gaz stated. J.C. chuckled to himself, "Foolish girl. I do not have any form of chemical in my body, this is just the healing power of God at work." Gaz rolled her eyes, "Whatever helps you sleep at night bub." She then got into a fighting stance and beckoned J.C. to attack. J.C. leapt at Gaz with the speed of a bullet, which caught Gaz slightly off guard, giving her only enough time to block the punch thrown her way. The force threw her this time not into a wall, but _through_ it.

"Gaz!" Zim yelled before J.C. appeared before him and did the same thing to Zim. The feeling of being launched through a wall was not a pleasant one. Sure, Zim was stronger than most people and he knew it wouldn't kill him. But, he did know he would be sore beyond all belief after that experience. Of course he didn't know that there were several metal tables behind the wall. His next thoughts were no longer 'Man I'm gonna be sore tomorrow.' But were now, 'OH FUCK, THIS IS GONNA LEAVE A MARK!' as he smashed through several tables. Of course he didn't stop after the tables either. Unfortunately for Zim, he flew through _yet another wall_. He hit the ground sliding for several feet before hitting a machine of some sort.

"That's gonna make a nasty bruise. Oh wait, Irkens don't bruise." Zim said as he struggled to get up. "Lucky for you," he heard Gaz's voice say. "GAZ!" Zim yelled as he ran over to the girl. He gave her his hand and helped pull her up. "You okay?" he asked, then realizing how stupid it was to ask. "Yeah. Nothing I can't brush off," was her reply. "Oh how sweet, two heathens in love. I'll make sure to send you both to Hell at the same time!" came J.C.'s voice as he came into the room. Zim immediately brought out his katana, which he had kept on his back. Gaz focused her energy causing her to transform into her Deep Black fueled form.

"Ah, I see. So you're part demon are you?" J.C. said to Gaz. "I thought I could feel some form of evil aura emanating from your person." "Whatever. Let's just cut the song and dance and get to the fight," she said as she generated her massive katana. "Gladly", the manic Christ look alike said. He was about to attack when he got slammed into the nearby wall by some seemingly invisible force. However, the force then appeared next to Gaz and Zim. It was Pepito who was in a fighting stance and ready to kick ass.

"I'm getting sick and fucking tired of your inane self-righteous rambling. So by the power of all things unholy and impure, I will destroy you!" Pepito yelled at J.C. He turned to Gaz and Zim, you guys ready to take this fucker out?" he asked. "Thought you'd never ask," said Gaz excitedly.

However, as they were about to fight, gunshots were heard in the room they were previously in. "What the hell is that about?" Zim asked to no one in particular. He got his answer when the others came in through the hole in the wall firing their guns. The reason why was made clear when, after moving into the room a bit, the assailants of the group were revealed to be a horde of zombies, an _extremely large_ horde. "Oh shit on a stick." Gaz said as the massive swarm began converging into the room.

"Everyone to higher ground!" Dib shouted as he began running up a staircase. The others followed him up and when they were all up top Dib tossed a grenade down the stairs blowing up a good portion of them, thus keeping the zombies from reaching them. "We should be safe for now." Tak said looking down. "Ahem", a voice said from behind them. They turned to see J.C. still behind them. "You seem to be forgetting our battle at hand." "Can't it wait?" Gaz asked. "There are more pressing matters at hand."

J.C. frowned a bit. "There are no pauses in battle young lady. That is something you must learn…" He flew forward and hit Gaz hard, sending her flying off the platform they were all on. "…the hard way." J.C. finished. Gaz landed on top of a machine and damn near slid off into the horde of zombies crowded around it. She quickly scrambled back onto the machine to stay as far away from the damned zombies as possible. However, J.C. jumped onto the machine with her to keep her from escaping.

"Fuck this. Hope you can keep up with me douche bag." Gaz said before her wings popped back out and she flew into the air. Taking out her katana she dove down at J.C. and took a swing at him trying to hit him. J.C. ducked down quickly and Gaz's attack missed. From his crouched position however, he grabbed Gaz's leg and swung her around tossing her violently into the wall.

"Gaz!" Zim yelled angrily as Gaz fell from the wall onto a large shelf top luckily instead of the zombies below. Zim turned his gaze filled with seething hatred towards J.C. He'd be damned if he let that prick kill Gaz. "Ha, ha! I was hoping to have a little fun with this one, but it seems that she's too weak and fragile to provide even a valid threat. I guess it just shows that…" For the second time during the battle, J.C. had his sentenced interrupted by a punch to the face, which sent him flying across the enormous room they were in.

In his place stood Zim with fury pouring from his gaze. He was pissed off now. "Pepito! Get Gaz and wake her up! I'm going to need you and her to kill this bastard." Pepito shook his head in understanding and leap into the crowd of zombies where there were few and began using his demonic powers to summon balls of dark energy and unholy fire which he threw at the zombies completely disintegrating them or incinerating them.

He made his way over to where Gaz's unconscious body was and scooped her up jumping onto a nearby walkway and gently putting her down. "Wakey, wakey!" he shouted lightly slapping her cheek. Gaz awoke to see Pepito over her. "Glad to see you're okay," he said. "Now I think Zim needs our help," he said gesturing towards J.C. and Zim who were jumping from walkway to walkway and on top of machines and shelves, beating the living crap out of each other. "Time to end this thing." Gaz said standing, before spreading her wings and flying at J.C. with Pepito hot on her heels. J.C. was so busy fighting Zim, he failed to notice the dark girl and the young Anti-Christ coming at him.

POW! He was hit hard by Gaz and was knocked back a bit further by a fireball from Pepito. "What the?" he began to say but was cut off as Gaz, Pepito, and Zim laid into him. Eventually, J.C. was knocked from the platform they were on, but grabbed onto it at the last possible moment. "Help me! Please, have mercy on me!" he exclaimed. Gaz walked over to where he hung. "Sorry pal, mercy doesn't exist on the battlefield. Now let me teach _you_ that the hard way." And with that she stamped down hard on the mans fingers shattering all of them.

J.C. fell screaming into the horde of zombies, which he tried fruitlessly to fight off. The undead overpowered him though as they bit down ravenously into his arms and legs tearing flesh from bone. A couple zombies dug into his abdominal area ripping it open like a bag of potato chips ripping his organs out and devouring them hungrily. His screams rung out as he was ripped to shreds before ending as soon as they came with a sickening gurgle as he met his end.

"Brutal", Gaz, Zim, and Pepito said in unison. By this time, the others had caught up with them. "We need to destroy this place." Dib said. "I know, that's why I activated the self-destruct on my way to saving Gaz." Pepito said without batting an eye, almost like he was stating something completely obvious. Everyone stared at him but he brushed them off and said, "Now if you're all done gaping at me, I suggest we leave now." He snapped his fingers and a portal appeared before them. "Now then, shall we?" he asked as he entered. The others snapped back to reality and followed suit with the portal closing quickly. Pretty much as soon as it closed, the entire lab area exploded in a massive explosion.

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Above in the penthouse suite area of the hotel, Ian heard a sound from behind his office door. He went to see if it was J.C. only to be met by his guards who had become infected by the zombie virus. They converged on Ian tearing him apart right as the building as a whole was brought down by the massive explosion from below ground which had managed to travel up enough to destroy the foundation.

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Back at Zim's base everyone but Nny, Squee, and Pepito, who had decided to go back to their homes instead, was recuperating in the rec/briefing room. The whole missions had taken its toll on the gang. Dib and Tak had fallen asleep in each other's arms on the couch in the room and GIR and Mimi went off to play some games. Gaz and Zim were the only two in the room who were still awake. Gaz was looking over at her brother with his girlfriend, both asleep, and holding each other. She smiled, it was nice that he and Tak were both very much in love with each other and would do anything for each other. She just hoped she could be a good girlfriend for Zim and give him what he needed.

Zim noticed Gaz's depressed look on her face and began wondering what was wrong. "Gaz, is something the matter?" he asked her. "No, nothing's wrong," she said. Zim scooted over to his new girlfriend and put an arm around her shoulder. "You can tell me Gaz. I'm here for you." Gaz simply got up though and began to walk away. As she was walking away from Zim though, she began coughing badly. She put her hand to her mouth to keep from waking Dib and Tak, and to keep from spreading any germs if she was getting sick. However, her hand got a bit slimy from the coughing. She looked at her hand and noticed that what she coughed up was unfortunately not phlegm, but blood.

"Shit," she said. "What? What is it?" Zim asked her as he stood beside her. He saw her hand and noticed she had some blood trickling from her lips. Gaz was about to say something to Zim but another coughing fit over came her and she coughed up even more blood this time. Zim's eyes widened in horror and he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room. "We need to get you to the infirmary," he said to her. He took her to the infirmary and had her sit on an examination table.

He pulled out a wand like device and began waving it over different parts of her body to see what might be causing this. He eventually found the problem, apparently when Gaz was knocked through the wall earlier by J.C. she was struck in the gut hard. She was apparently bleeding internally. Normally, this would lead to death but Zim had advanced Irken technology and could heal her in a matter of seconds. There was just one problem. "Gaz, in order for my machine to properly heal you, you'll need to…um, take off your shirt." Zim said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

Gaz raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not just trying to get a good look at my rack are you?" she asked with a smirk. Zim looked even more embarrassed and began scratching the back of his head quickly saying, "No, no, no. It's just the fabric would interfere with machine is all." Gaz rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it on the ground. Zim cautiously began using another wand like device to heal her. Eventually, he finished up and tried not to look at Gaz's chest as he began putting everything away. "There you go, all healed. Now you can put your shirt back on," he said.

Gaz however had other plans. She got up and walked over to Zim. However, before she got any closer to him, she decided to maybe get him a little more "in the mood" so to speak. She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra throwing it over with her shirt she then closed the gap between them and wrapped her hands around him from behind. Zim felt arms around his torso along with something soft against his back. He immediately realized what was going on. "Um, Gaz? What are you doing?" he asked the girl behind him. "Just setting the mood you sexy, green, Irken stud," she said.

"Setting the mood, for wha…?" Zim then realized something else at that exact moment. Gaz was topless. However, instead of embarrassment, Zim felt something different in him. He felt a _need_ for Gaz. A physical and mental reaction he assumed from having the object of his affections so close to him and in so little clothing. "Well then, I guess I'll need to help out some too he said. He then took his shirt off too and turned to face Gaz. He looked down into her cute face that he'd fallen in love with so many years ago. As Gaz looked Zim over she noticed he must work out as he had a well-toned chest.

Something else she noticed were some tattoos he had on his upper right chest and down his arm. The one on his chest depicted a skull with heart shaped eye sockets, and two daggers crossed behind it. Five stars flanked the skull and behind it was a large gray and purple flame. The tattoo was an amalgamation of planets, stars, flames, and wisps of smoke. "Where did you get those tattoos?" Gaz asked Zim. Zim looked down at the body art so gracefully adorning his chest and arm. "You like them? I got them done at this place called Mike's Ink & and Piercings." "You go to Mike's too? That's where I got my tattoo." Gaz said. She turned to show a tattoo she had on her back. It was an Irken symbol with two demon wings and a couple of black stars.

"I remember seeing the symbol for Irk several times on stuff you had and thought it looked cool. So I went in to Mike's and had it done. I just thought the demon wings and stars would be cool." Gaz told him. Zim saw something else that was barely noticeable. Right above the Irken symbol, were four tiny almost unnoticeable letters. The letters were Z, A, G, and R. "ZAGR?" Zim said with a tone of confusion in his voice. "What does that stand for?" Gaz blushed and said, "It stands for Zim and Gaz romance. I got it back before we both admitted our feelings, but I felt so hopeful so I had it added, but small so no one could notice it if someone were to see the tattoo." Zim looked it over and grinned to himself. "I think it's awesome," he said.

Gaz turned back around, and faced Zim. "Well I'm glad you like it," she said. The two then began to kiss. There was no one around this time. No distractions, and no witnesses so Zim and Gaz could get a little more…_physical_ to put it politely. Zim slipped his hand into Gaz's pants and squeezed her butt. Gaz moaned when Zim did that, obviously enjoying it. Zim also grabbed one of Gaz's breasts and began kneading it. Gaz conversely grabbed Zim's crotch causing the Irken to moan also. Knowing where this was going Zim ordered Computer to put in a bed. When the bed appeared the two made their way too it and stripped themselves of what little clothing they had left. Zim pulled a condom out from his jeans so as to not take any risks. "Don't go easy on me." Gaz said. "Likewise," was Zim's response.

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J.C. opened his eyes and looked around. "Where am I?" he asked. "Why you're in Hell, good sir," came a response in an elegant tone. J.C. turned to see Senor Diablo walking towards him. "Hell? But wait, this looks like Earth." "Well yes, but there are some perks to being here." J.C. raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "Really? Like what?" Senor Diablo turned around to face the new arrival. "Well, you like smoking?" "Yeah, I love smoking." J.C. said. "Good, cause every Monday we smoke cigarettes and cigars like you wouldn't believe. And if you get lung cancer, who cares? You're dead! Do you like alcohol?" "Yeah, I love alcohol." J.C. told the Devil. "Good, cause every Tuesday we drink till our livers atrophy. But who cares? You're dead! Like drugs?" "Hell yeah!" was the enthusiastic reply Senor Diablo got. "Cool cause on Wednesday, we do all kinds of drugs. Smoke joints the size of submarines, shoot up with an Olympic sized swimming pools worth of heroin, you name it, we have it. You like gambling?" "I love gambling!" "Well we got all kinds of games here, craps, poker, roulette, black jack, you name it." J.C. was impressed. "This is amazing! Hell is a cool place!" "Yep it sure is. Oh wait, one more question. Are you gay?" J.C. looked puzzled, "No, why?" The Devil made a pained hiss and said, "Then you are going to_ hate_ Fridays."

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AN: Fuck yeah, yet another chapter under my belt, and anybody who complains about the love scene between Zim and Gaz after I warned you, I'll slit your throat…Unless of course you're somebody who likes it or are a good friend of mine on this site. And to Invader Sideos, I know you probably won't read that part anyway, but on the off chance you do, I'd like to apologize in advance. But, what can I say? I'm pretty perverted. You got any problems with that? Oh, and the whole love scene was inspired by the aforementioned pic by gemineyedragon76. Also, I'm now a member of Deviant Art. I can't draw, but I'm going to post shit like homemade wallpapers, stories, poems, song lyrics, maybe some other stuff. My name is gregthecoolnerd. Put . after it and hit enter. I don't have nothing yet but I will soon. So enjoy my peeps!


	23. Prayer of the Refugee

**How To Totally Rock!**

AN: crickets chirp as the sound of a door off screen opens "I'm back!" comes a voice belonging to the author. sits down at computer noticing it's covered in cobwebs "Whoa it has been awhile since I wrote anything." Hello everyone! It's been a long ass fucking time since I wrote anything. I figure I need to get this story over with. Only three chapters left to go, and it'll all be over. However, despite my announcement many months ago about not writing a sequel, I have decided to write one after all. However, it probably won't come till next year. After this fic is done though, I'll begin work on "No More Room In Hell", my George A. Romero homage/Invader Zim fan fic. I'll also continue work on my Naruto fic. So, without further adieu, I present chapter twenty three of "How To Totally Rock!"

P.S. This chapter will have appearances by none other than Skoodge, Gretchen, Devi, and Minimoose. I will also explain where Minimoose has been all this time, after making a (very) brief appearance in an earlier chapter only to disappear. Plus, some reader cameos in this chapter and the next specifically, my four closest friends/most frequent readers/biggest fans on this site. Okay, _now_ on with the fic.

Last Chapter Name: Calabrese song

Character's Outfits:

Zim: t-shirt with the slogan: "999: Evil When I Do Handstands", torn jeans, and Converse sneakers

Gaz: white button up shirt with sweater vest over top, plaid skirt, torn fishnet stockings, and combat boots

Dib: t-shirt with the slogan: "I Know Violence Isn't The Answer. I Got It Wrong On Purpose", baggy plaid shorts, and Vans shoes.

Tak: Queen t-shirt, beige slacks, and sandals

Squee: Tenacious D t-shirt, jeans, and Von Zipper shoes

Nicky: Wednesday 13 t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers

Pepito: Venom t-shirt, baggy jeans, and combat boots

Nny: What he normally wears.

Devi: Misfits t-shirt, slacks, and sneakers

Skoodge: t-shirt with the slogan: "If I Have To Find Jesus, Does That Means He's Hiding?", black jeans, and Converse sneakers

Gretchen: My Chemical Romance t-shirt, jeans, and Vans shoes.

Chapter 23: Prayer of the Refugee

Zim's eyes opened slowly as he began to wake from his peaceful slumber. He looked down to see Gaz in his arms, sleeping peacefully as well. He smiled to himself, she loved him, she loved him with all her heart and soul. He felt extremely happy, probably the happiest he had ever felt in his entire life. He certainly wouldn't forget the previous night anytime soon. As he was thinking to himself though, Gaz stirred in his arms and looked up at him tiredly.

"Good morning Zim." Gaz said to him as she woke groggily. "Hey sweet stuff, sleep well?" the Irken boy asked back to her. Gaz yawned, "Yep, best sleep I've had in a _long_ time." Zim kissed her forehead, "I'm glad," he told her. "Man last night was amazing." Gaz said. "I know. Hey, where did you learn how to do that one thing?" Zim asked. "What thing?" Gaz asked. "That thing you did with your finger." "Oh that. Well I guess it pays to be one of the few girls who watches porn." Gaz said. Zim raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Really? Do you have anymore tricks you'd like to show me?" he asked suggestively. Gaz turned over so she was on top of him. "Oh, I have a bunch," she said. "Hey Zim, have you seen Gaz? She's…not…in…her…room." Dib said as he walked in. Gaz and Zim's gaze then whipped towards Dib who was standing there in the doorway. "Sorry, I'll just be, um…outside…uh, bye." And with that said he ran out the door. "Goddammit" Gaz said. "Why does Dib barge in on everything we do?"

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Shortly afterwards the little "incident", Gaz and Zim were both dressed again, and met Dib in the hallway. "Before any of you say anything, I'm sorry I barged in like that, I should have knocked first etc. But, I needed to tell you guys something." The couple looked at him wondering what could have been so fucking important as to interrupt their, "quality time", together. "Don't you guys remember what day it is?" he asked them. "Uh, Saturday?" Zim asked. Dib smacked his forehead. "No, numbnuts. What day of the month." Zim thought for awhile before arriving to the conclusion Dib was hinting at.

"Oh shit! It's August 25th!" cried Zim. "We have our concert at The Pit to play today." "That's not all. It turns out we've been scheduled to open for Mindless Self Indulgence." Gaz's jaw dropped. MSI was one of her most favorite bands of all time…ever. "You're shitting me," she said. "Nope. I got a call on my cell phone from Dexter. Says that he forgot about their stop there and asked them if he could have a local band open for them. They said it was fine and are going to play after us." "Then what the fuck are we doing standing around talking for? We gotta practice!" she exclaimed, running back to her room to get her guitars.

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The group practiced for several hours straight so as to make up for lost practice time. Eventually, they packed up their stuff and made their way down to The Pit to set up. "I can't believe we're opening for Mindless Self Indulgence. I have to be dreaming. I even dressed similar to Lyn-Z." Gaz was saying in rapid succession. "I wonder if I could get their autographs?" she added as a little flourish. "Calm down Gaz." Zim said. Gaz just couldn't contain herself though. "I know, I'm just so flipping excited!" she exclaimed.

"I'm getting the chance to play with one of the greatest bands ever! I just can't calm down!" Gaz yelled excitedly. She was really hyped up for this. Zim had rarely seen her so hyped up about something before. It was kinda weird. Usually, she kept her cool and didn't get all excited like most girls her age did. However, if something really, really, _really_ awesome was to occur, she couldn't contain herself and began acting like a child with ADHD on a sugar rush. This was one of those times.

Zim really didn't mind however. He thought she looked cute when she acted that way. The group had set up their equipment in a special practice room that Zim had set up for them. It was designed to look like the inside of CBGB's before it was unceremoniously closed down by the asshole government of New York City. They jammed for awhile playing covers and some original material. They were trying to pick out the set list for their show. They wanted to have mostly original material, but also wanted some covers thrown in. They eventually settled on a suitable set list and wrote it down so they could remember it. However, while they were practicing, something wicked was going on across town.

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"Dammit! I can't believe those kids actually killed the best assassin money could buy!" Marshall shouted as he slammed his fists on his desk. "How the hell are we gonna stop them if we can never surprise them?" Rocco asked his boss. "I don't know Rocco I just don't know." Marshall replied. A knock on the door interrupted them from their thoughts. "Come in." Marshall replied. The door opened to reveal Marshall's spoiled daughter, Jessica. "Daddy, I'm going out okay. I don't want your cronies following me around okay?" The man smiled, "Of course princess. But just so I know where you are, could you tell me where you're going?" "Just to the mall. Though I really wish you'd tear down that stupid "Pit" club. _Especially_ since _Gaz_ and her little _friends_ are going to be playing there." Marshall's head shot up. "Gaz? As in Gaz Membrane?" "Yeah." Marshall turned to Rocco. "I think I finally know how to rid ourselves of our problem."

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The Pit was jam packed with attendants. The gang was backstage in their, own room, which was part of the prize. They were just hanging out to relax. As they went over their set list, a knock on the door caught their attention. "I wonder who that is?" Dib said. "I don't know." Zim said as he got up and opened the door. "Zim!" came a happy voice belonging to a slightly pudgy boy. "I'm sorry do I know you?" Zim asked. "Oh right," the boy said and pressed a button on his belt buckle. His form wavered to reveal a slightly pudgy Irken.

"Holy shit! Skoodge! Long time, no see buddy!" Zim cried as he hugged one of his oldest friends. "Squeak!" said a familiar little floating moose. "Minimoose!" Zim also cried out. GIR however, was over extremely quick to see his long lost buddy again. "Minimoose! I misseded you!" GIR shrieked as he grabbed and subsequently hugged Minimoose. "Yeah, I fixed up his Nubs of Doom for you." Skoodge said. "I've been meaning to get him back to you but…I've been caught up in other…uh, matters."

Zim raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Like what?" he asked. As if to answer his question, a female voice called out. "Skoodge! Where are you?" The owner of the voice appeared next to the eponymous Irken. "Hi, Gretchen." Skoodge replied. "Gretchen!?" everyone in the room exclaimed bewildered. It was true. It was Gretchen. Though she had changed quite a bit over the years. She no longer had buckteeth or braces so she no longer had a lisp, her hair was now a combination pink-purple color, and she was taller, though not taller than Skoodge, as they were both the same height. Quite simply, she was now one of the cutest and most sought after girls at school.

"Why are you back here honey?" she asked him. "Honey!?" everyone exclaimed again. Skoodge sighed. "Yes, honey. Gretchen and I have been dating each other for about a few months now," the pudgy Irken told everyone. "And she knows you're a…" Tak began. "An alien? Yeah, I know that. But I don't care." Gretchen said as she hugged him. "He's the first person who's loved me for me, and not how I look." Skoodge blushed as she continued to hug him. "Aw, how cute!" GIR said from his position in the back of the room. "But wait, what about your work with The Resisty, Skoodge?" Tak asked considering it was _she_ who found him.

Skoodge shrugged. "They didn't need me anymore. Lard Nar said that I had helped them enough already. So I decided to come to Earth since it wasn't that far away and I didn't want to go back to Irk." He grabbed Gretchen's hand and squeezed it slightly. "After landing on Earth, I passed myself off as a high school student, and enrolled in a school. One day I was at the mall with some friends I made and that's where I met Gretchen." Skoodge said. "I was working at Suncoast and Skoodge came in." Gretchen interjected. "He bought some DVD's and we got talking about what we liked and ended up becoming friends. After awhile, we realized there was something deeper than friendship between us and we ended up dating."

Zim nudged his friend with his elbow. "So you got yourself a girlfriend, eh Skoodge?" he asked his longtime (and for a long while _only_) friend. "Congratulations buddy. And for awhile I thought you were gay." Skoodge went wide-eyed after Zim said that. "What!? Why would you think that?" Zim put his hand under his chin. "Well let's see here, you always followed me around, would do anything I told you, and acted extremely clingy around me. I'm pretty sure most people would interpret that as being gay." However, he then looked at his friend, "Nah. I'm kidding!"

Skoodge sighed. "Well okay. I think we should be going now though. You guys need to set up, and we need to get a good spot." He and Gretchen then left saying goodbye. "Man I can't believe Skoodge got himself a girlfriend. And from what it sounds like, they've been dating longer than any of us!" Zim said surprised. "Not only that, but he got Gretchen!" Dib said. "And she's hot!" he added. Though he quickly turned to Tak and said, "Though not as hot as you babe." Tak smiled, and not the "Aw, how sweet", kind of smile. I'm talking about the "Yeah, you just saved yourself a week on the couch, buster", kind of smile.

Anyway, I got off topic. The gang had to go on in a couple minutes, so they had made their way back stage to wait for their cue to go on. While they were waiting, a voice got their attention. "Hey guys!" came the voice from their left. They turned to look, and saw Squee, along with his girlfriend Nicky, his best friend Pepito, and his surrogate parents, Nny and Devi. "Hey guys! What are you doing here?" Gaz asked the group. "Just decided to come around and say 'good luck.'" Squee told her. "Well I could have figured _that_ out. What I meant was why are you guys in the club? Don't you have better things to do than watch us play?" Gaz retorted.

"Pffft! Are you kidding! We wouldn't miss this for the world!" Squee told her happily. "Especially since the world's a shithole anyway." Pepito added. "Yeah, well besides that." Squee added. "Well I'm glad you did, it'd be nice to see a few familiar faces in the audience." Gaz said to her friend. "I'll always be there for you Gaz. As a friend of course." Squee said, quickly adding the last bit so as not to give the wrong impression.

"Well I too have something to tell everyone." Nny interjected. "I've been invited to appear at this year's Comic Con for a panel on Happy Noodle Boy." Everyone began congratulating the pale man. Devi interjected this time. "Plus, my artwork is going to be exhibited at museums across the country," she told them. Everyone then began congratulating Devi for such an honor. They knew she had worked hard as an artist to make a living. Now that both Nny, and Devi were becoming recognized artists, things were looking up for them.

"I too have something to say." Squee said. "I almost forgot, but Pepito and I were contacted by a record executive and we just got signed to Roadrunner Records. We're going out to LA to record our first album this Friday." This got everyone to cheer especially hard for the two's band. "Nice going guys." Dib said. "Yeah, well it was Pepito here who did most of the talking." Squee told him. Pepito just shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I can be very…_persuasive_ when I want," he said with a dark chuckle.

At that moment a teenage boy of about eighteen with shoulder length brown hair, and pale skin, wearing a long sleeved black and white striped t-shirt that looked like something of Nny's, black jeans, and combat boots came backstage. "Who out of you guys is The Invaders?" he asked in a British accent. "We are," the respective members said in unison. "You're on in five minutes," he said. He then noticed Nny and Nny noticed him. "Nice duds," they both said at once. "Thanks," the teen said. "Names Sideos, or Sid for short." "My names Johnny, or Nny for short." The two then began talking as they walked out from backstage with Devi following her husband. "Break a leg guys." Nicky said. "Yeah," Squee agreed. "Blow their minds," Pepito said as the three left too from backstage.

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The club was packed tight with people. A lot of people were in the audience including, all the gang's friends. MSI themselves were on the side wanting to see the band about to play. "All right boys and girls! Are you ready to fuck shit up!?" Dexter yelled to the crowd. The crowd roared their approval. "Then put your hands together for The Invaders!" he yelled as the group came out taking up their instruments. "We're going to play this song to show our support and love of one kick ass band, or as they would say, one suck ass band, Mindless Self Indulgence." Zim said into the mic. They began the song and Zim began providing some fast and amazing rap skills as he sang the song.

I been denied all the best ultrasex  
I been denied all the best ultrasex

I - I tried to consume just like a super faggot  
I got some dude  
How can y'all bring a muthafucka something so good he couldn't say no  
You nailed me hard  
I love 'em when they don't give a motherfucking shit  
I could've been someone instead of falling flat upon my ass

Dig me now and fuck me later  
And sing it to the tune of faggot, faggot, faggot  
Oh - dig me now and fuck me later  
And sing it with the...

I been denied all the best ultra sex  
I been denied all the best ultra sex

I - I could've been a star  
It freaks me out when I sound just like my mom  
I could've rocked the spot  
Instead of being just another faggot like I am  
I played that shit straight  
Blowin' suckas on the side hopin' I get laid  
Now everybody knows  
No way in hell I can ever live it down

Dig me now and fuck me later  
And sing it to the tune of faggot, faggot, faggot  
Ow - dig me now and fuck me later  
And sing it with the...

I been denied all the best ultra sex  
I been denied all the best ultra sex

I could've been someone instead of falling flat upon my ass

Dig me now and fuck me later  
And sing it to the tune of faggot, faggot, faggot  
Ow - dig me now and fuck me later  
And sing it with the...

I been denied all the best ultra sex  
I been denied all the best ultra sex  
Molest

Faggot, faggot, faggot, faggot

After they finished the cover, everyone went crazy, cheering them on. "Thank you," Zim said. "This next song is one we wrote ourselves. It's called Dorkgasm. We hope you like it."

Imagine the coolest thing you could ever think of

The coolest motherfucking thing that you could think of

It's not hard I do it all the time

There are just too many things I could think of

That makes me get all hot and sweaty

Like an Avatar/Naruto crossover

A video game with ninja/pirate/cyborg/monkeys fighting zombies

An actual catgirl for a girlfriend

Or maybe having Bruce Campbell as a dad

Or how about all of them at once?

Let me tell you right now, it makes me excited

(chorus)

It feels like I'm gonna have a…dorkgasm

You know what I mean

That feeling a geek gets

When something mind-blowing happens

A feeling that makes you so happy and spazzy

And talk about it for days on end

How about a chance to talk with Stan Lee?

Or to shake Shigeru Miyamoto's hand?

How about actually befriending Jack Black?

Maybe jamming with MSI or RBF?

Getting an autograph from Steve Blum himself?

Dang, I'm really flipping out just thinking about it

(chorus x3)

Some people may not agree

They may say that we need to calm down

But they are just jealous

They don't want us to express ourselves

They want us to conform

So give 'em the old single finger salute

And scream, "Fuck you!"

Because you won't hold me down

(guitar solo)

So I hope that this has shown you

A good example of coolness that can be thought up

Some might never happen

But that's what dreams, doujinshis, and fan fictions are for

So keep on dreaming, and thinking up

New cool things everybody

Because we just can't fit them all into this song

(chorus x3)

(guitar solo 2)

(outro)

After the completion of the song the crowd went wild once more screaming and applauding for more music. The boys and girls of MSI were impressed by their performance. "These guys are pretty freaking awesome." Little Jimmy Urine said to Steve, Righ?, his fellow band mate. "Yeah we should get these guys to go on tour with us." Steve said. "I like how their lead guitarist dresses," said Lyn-Z. "It seems familiar somehow though." "I like their sense of geeky style." Kitty added.

The band continued to play their set belting out more songs impressing the crowd and MSI. When they finished their last song, Zim shouted, "Good night motherfuckers!" before leaving the stage. The gang was excitedly talking amongst themselves when MSI came up to them. "Hey that was really good guys." Little Jimmy Urine said to the group. Everyone turned to see one of their biggest influences backstage with them. "Oh my God, MSI is congratulating us!" Gaz shouted excitedly. "Yeah, we really liked it. We'd love it if you guys would join us for a tour later this year." Kitty added. "On tour!? With you!? Of course." Gaz said excitedly.

"Well okay, now if you'll excuse us, we have a concert to perform." Steve, Righ? said. As the band passed, Lyn-Z just said, "Nice clothes" to Gaz. As they walked away, though Dib looked sullen for some reason. Tak noticed this, and decided to ask him about it. "What's wrong hun?" she asked. "I can't shake this feeling like something bad is going to happen. But I don't know why." Dib told her. However, he would get his answer soon enough.

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AN: Okay so, I've been gone for like…close to five months now. I feel bad, about that. I really do. I guess that's just my laziness shining through. I hope this makes up for it. I just want to say, I feel bad about it and that there will be action in the next chapter. Also…Jazz, Derrick, Sideos, and DarkMoose84 (sorry don't know your real name), for being so kick ass and awesome writers. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah (hope I spelled it right), and Happy New Years to everyone!


	24. Animal

**How To Totally Rock!**

AN: Good lord it's been close to a year since I last updated. Boy do I suck. I don't know why I've been so unmotivated when it comes to this story, since I've gained quite the following with it. Nevertheless, I will finish this damn story soon…hopefully.

Last Chapter Name: Rise Against song

Note: Characters clothing same as last chapter because this takes place during the same time frame.

Chapter 24: Animal

To the casual observer, the outside of The Pit was like it was every night: calm, quiet (except for the faint noise of the music from inside), and almost completely devoid of life barring the occasional stray cat or crazy, drunken hobo. However, to the more scrupulous and eagle eyed observer one could tell something was _not_ right. It would appear at once, both pleasantly familiar and grotesquely alien. The reason being was that someone, not usually seen around a place like The Pit, unless they were stumbling home from a nearby bar, or were lost and looking for directions, was outside the doors of the club.

"Do you remember the plan?" the man asked, seemingly to nobody. In actuality, he had a small microphone on his suit, along with a transceiver in his ear. "Sure do boss," came the reply from the other end. "Good," the man said coolly as he straightened his tie. "It's time to take out the trash," he said to himself.

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The final chord of "Stupid MF" rang out in the club as MSI finished the song. The crowd immediately began cheering for the band as the song faded out. "Thank you worthless peons." Little Jimmy Urine said in his usual comical way. Watching their idols perform from the back, the gang was relaxing as they got to hear the band play. "Man, there is just no getting by it. These guys kick ass." Gaz said to the others. "I agree. Not too many punk bands these days focus on silly, humorous songs that are just plain fun to listen to." Zim said. "It's good to have a break from all the bands who either only sing about being dumped, or how the government sucks and how if we all just hold hands, everything will by hunky dory." GIR just sat there entranced by the group. "I love this band," he said.

Dib on the other hand seemed less enthusiastic. Something seemed to still be bugging him. Tak picked up on this, and put a hand on her boyfriends shoulder. "You still worried babe?" she asked him. He nodded, "Yeah but don't let that worry you." Tak frowned. Something was bugging her boyfriend, and she needed to know what. "How about we go outside and talk about it?" she suggested. "Sure, that sounds good," he said. "Guys Dib and I are going outside for awhile. We'll be back in a couple of minutes." Tak told the others. "Sure thing." Zim said. Gaz just nodded, basically saying that they should just do what they feel they need to. Dib and Tak then left the group together. As they were exiting the building, a man in a business suit passed by them. Dib suddenly felt an intense headache hit that caused him to stumble. "You okay?" Tak asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." Dib said.

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As MSI began to play "Bring The Pain", the tuxedo-clad man came up behind Gaz and tapped her on the shoulder. The girl turned around thinking it was Dib or Tak saying that they were gonna head home early and to just stay and enjoy the rest of the show. Which is why she was surprised to see a man in a tuxedo, obviously on business, standing behind her. She a great sense of distrust towards this man, but she couldn't quite figure out why.

"Are you Gaz Membrane?" the man asked, though he had to shout due to the loud music playing in the club. "Yeah, what's it to ya?" she asked in an equally loud voice over the music. The man handed her a card. It read:

Robert Jackson

**Public Relations Dept.**

**Hellcat Records**

**2798 Sunset BLVD. Los Angeles, CA 90026**

Zim had noticed what was going on out of the corner of his eye and turned to check out what was happening. "What's going on?" he asked Gaz. "This guy appears to be from Hellcat Records. Seems he's interested in us." Gaz replied. Zim looked him over. He didn't like the looks of the guy. He seemed more like the kind of guy who, would be working for a bigger company than an indie label based out of LA. Knowing he could not whisper to Gaz with the music playing, he decided to use their shared power of telepathic communication. 'I don't know Gaz, this guy seems suspicious.' Zim told Gaz psychically. 'I know that. We should play along though to see if we could maybe get some info out of him or something.' Gaz answered.

She then turned back to the guy behind her. "Okay, so what do you want from our band?" Gaz asked. "I would like to sign you. I saw your performance and was quite impressed to say the least," the man told her. Gaz crossed her arms across her chest. "Really? Well can we see the contract?" she asked. The man grinned. "Sure thing," he said coolly as he produced a piece of paper from his suit. The teen took it from his hands and turned to pretend to read it. She once again began communicating telepathically with Zim.

'Well, what do you think?' Zim asked her. Gaz sighed, 'I really don't know. I can't get a good reading on his intentions. It's like something's blocking my ability to probe his thoughts.' Zim raised a non-existent eyebrow at that tidbit of info. 'Shouldn't that mean though that this guy means trouble?' Zim asked. Gaz had thought about that herself. 'You may be right. I think we should try and take this whole thing outside in case something does happen. Make sure nobody gets hurt.' She turned to the man behind her. "Do you think we could take this outside? You know, to hear better?" Gaz asked him. The man smiled, "Why of course." The three of them turned to leave the building. "Move in, targets will be outside shortly." Rocco said into a com-link attached to his suit and completely unnoticeable to most people.

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Dib and Tak were drinking Suck Monkeys they had gotten from the 7-11 across the street from The Pit. "I'm sorry for making you miss the concert Tak." Dib apologized to her boyfriend. Tak wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer to her. "It's okay, I've seen MSI live plenty of times before. It doesn't bother me that much," she assured him. While they were together though, Dib's sixth sense from his Deep Black powers kicked in.

He looked up at the buildings nearest The Pit, and saw what appeared to be Special Forces guys descending from them. However, he knew that they weren't with the government. He could pretty much surmise that they were part of Marshall's little gang of "enforcers". He tapped Tak on the shoulder and quietly gestured toward them. "What do you suppose they're doing here?" Dib asked quietly. Tak knew now why she was having such a bad feeling. "Whatever it is, it _can't_ be good," she replied.

"We should check it out," Dib said as the guys disappeared from sight luckily not having seen them. He and Tak both activated cloaking devices they had on them. Taking off after the group, they came to a nicely sized area behind the club, where garbage was usually taken out. The SF-looking guys got into various positions around the area well out of sight. Tak and Dib stopped holding their positions as well to see what they would do.

At that moment, Gaz and Zim came out into the area with the tuxedoed guy. "Bit of an unusual place to discuss business fellas. But whatever floats your boat," the guy said. "Yes well we're kinda unusual people." Gaz told him cooly. "Yes well, let's get down to discussing your contract," he said. "Cut the bullshit man." Zim snapped at him. "We know you ain't an actual company exec. So stop beating around the bush and tell us what you want."

The man grinned evilly. "So you figured it out?" he asked in a much lower, deeper voice than he had been speaking in previously. His form transformed into his true appearance. Zim and Gaz recognized him immediately from the assassination attempt on the mayor. "YOU!" the two shouted at the same time at Rocco. "Yes, it is I. I take it you remember me from before?" he asked. "Like hell we do!" Gaz shouted. "So have you come back for more?" she asked.

He waved his hands, "No, no, no. I'm not doing any fighting tonight. That's these guys' job." The crew of hidden operatives jumped out of hiding and surrounded Zim and Gaz. The operatives looked similar to the Combine soldiers from Half-Life 2. They wore black outfits with matching masks covering their whole heads. "Amazing effect Deep Black has on the criminally insane." Rocco said. "Their disturbed, warped minds are perfect for mind control. We can manipulate them to our will, and their distorted world view makes them perfect killers."

He smirked, "Now I must take my leave. Have fun though." He then disappeared in an instant and Gaz and Zim were left surrounded by Deep Black powered maniacs. "Well fuck." Zim said exasperated. As the crew of freaks began to converge on them, Gaz shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I always did enjoy a good rumble. And I _hate_ pushovers," she said. Zim cricked his neck. "We can't use firearms this close to the club. It would attract unwanted attention," he told her.

"That's fine." Gaz replied. "It's been awhile since I did any bare-knuckle brawling." She raised her fists, preparing herself for hand-to-hand combat. She knew Zim kept things like katanas, hunting knives, kunai, shuriken, and brass knuckles in his infinite storage cube or whatever the hell he called it, but she wanted to just kick ass the old fashioned way... with her fists and feet. The first freak jumped at her, which she knocked aside with a smooth and graceful roundhouse kick. Several more then pounced on her and Zim.

While they were able to fend off most of them at first they soon began to get overrun by the freaks. "Shit! There's too many of them!" Zim yelled as they were over taken. One jumped up behind Zim with a knife raised, poised to plunge it into Zim's neck. Gaz saw this as if it were happening in slow motion. "Zim look out!" she shouted to him. Zim turned to see the guy within inches of his neck. Before the knife could enter though, the guy was knocked away by Dib who had turned into his alternate form.

The guy, who he hit didn't so much hit the opposite wall as he did splatter all over it. Dib turned his head to the two of them. "Sorry to butt in, but Tak and I couldn't just let you have all the fun." Indeed, behind them Tak was practically going ape shit on these guys asses. Zim and Gaz looked at each other and grinned. Gaz turned into her alternate, more powerful form and Zim stopped letting back. The three launched themselves at the mob, joining Tak in the bloodletting.

It was a storm of flashing blades, severed limbs, arterial spray, and general destruction. Blades hacked off any available digits they could find. Hands, feet, arms, legs, torsos, and heads, all experienced the same fate. Not a single one of the freaks was spared from a grisly end at the hands of the four teens. When they were finished, the whole area they were in was covered in blood. The four were panting heavily after having fought so many foes at once. Especially foes hopped up on Deep Black.

"Whew! I'm glad that's over!" exclaimed Tak, out of breath. "Yeah, and thank God nobody else got involved." Gaz said. A noise however, distracted them from their celebration. It sounded like wheezing laughter as if someone was trying to force their laughing through a shattered larynx. The group turned their heads to look and see where the laughing was coming from. One of the freaks was laying there laughing pathetically. "You think you've won," he gasped. He let out another broken laugh. "Just wait until the berserkers come in. This whole building and every one in it will be destroyed." Zim got pissed off and decided to end his laughing by crushing the guy's head beneath his foot.

"Damn, that stupid fucker was making me angry." Zim said. Dib had a concerned and thoughtful look on his face. "What do you think he meant by berserkers?" he asked. "I don't know, something like that." Gaz said nonchalantly pointing to the entrance to the alley. The others turned to see a group of large, burly, hulking psychopaths standing at the entrance to the area they were occupying. "Oh, c'mon!" Dib shouted angrily. "Well we're boned." Gaz then stated. Zim on the other hand, was not ready to give up just like that. "We can take these guys! These guys should be a push..." KRACK! A rather large fist connected with Zim's face knocking him though the wall behind him.

This wall, as luck or misfortune, would have it was attached to The Pit. Zim's body however did not stop after going through the wall. He went through three other walls, eventually bursting through the wall behind Mindless Self Indulgence in the middle of them performing Mark David Chapman. The band immediately stopped playing and the crowd stopped moving and singing after this happened. Three more bodies were thrown through the wall into the club. Mimi recognized them immediately. "GIR, our friends are in trouble!" she said to him. GIR gasped and put his hands over his mouth. "Master and his friends are in trouble! I'll save you master!" he exclaimed.

At this point, berserkers had burst in causing the audience to run for their lives. "Man, these guys hurt a lot." Gaz said struggling to her feet. "You're not kidding." Zim agreed. As the group got to their feet the berserkers had almost all made it into the club and were making their way towards the group. Before the first one could make it to them, it exploded into a group of large meaty chunks, which scattered everywhere and sprayed blood on the group. Everyone turned to see GIR standing there with his weapons out. His eyes were red matching the blood covering his now exposed robot body.

"Must destroy threat to master." GIR said in a slow emotionless tone. "Maybe we aren't boned after all." Gaz said. GIR produced more weapons from his head, aiming them at the berserkers. Something else came out though when the weapons did…a rubber piggy. GIR looked down at the squeaky plaything, and his eyes returned to blue and his weapons disappeared into his head. "PIGGY!" he bellowed, grabbing the toy and squeezing it while saying the word "piggy" over and over. "False alarm, we're still boned." Gaz said in an exasperated tone of voice.

The berserkers who had been confused by the insane robot's spectacle of brief intelligence regained their composure and began to advance on the group. "Shit, if only I had brought the weapons with us." Zim said. Everyone turned and looked at Zim incredulously. "You didn't bring any weapons!" they all yelled at Zim simultaneously. "Oh, c'mon like any of you would have expected this to happen!" Zim yelled back frustrated at the others. Now the berserkers weren't even advancing anymore. They just stood there as the group began to fight amongst themselves for forgetting to bring any weapons.

"Wait a minute!" Zim yelled at the top of his lungs as the bickering began to get out of hand. "I just remembered something." He pulled the small infinite matter storage device (or IMSD) out of his pocket, and went through it. "Ah, here we are!" he exclaimed as he produced…his Rickenbacker bass. This confused the berserkers even more as they were not that bright and prone to get distracted. Though if you didn't already gather this from what you've read, you must either not have been paying attention, or are rather thick yourself.

"What the fuck Zim! What are you planning to do…rock them to death?" Dib asked. Zim though promptly aimed the headstock at a berserker, flipped a switch on the bass, and strummed the strings. A loud blast was heard and the head of a berserker exploded violently. The headstock had smoke billowing out of it like a gun barrel. Zim promptly aimed it at the other berserkers and began blasting them to bits in fine fashion. When he finished up, all the berserkers in the club were dead.

"Well that takes care of that." Zim said. He turned around to see everyone else standing with their mouths on the floor. "Did you just rip-off FLCL and use a Rickenbacker bass/gun combo to kill al those dudes?" Gaz asked disbelievingly. "Yup." Zim said triumphantly. Everyone fell to the ground in exasperation like you see in anime. "Well at least that's over." Tak said as they all got back up from the floor. "Yes, now let's see if there's anyone still around here who could use our help." Dib said as they all left the club. No sooner had they than they saw big robot walkers, berserkers, and other things running around. Along with that were Nny, Devi, Squee, Pepito, Skoodge, and the members of Mindless Self Indulgence themselves fighting them. "Well this fucking blows." Gaz said.

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AN: Okay that's another chapter. Short yes, but I'm hoping to just throw a bunch of action at you in the last few chapters as a way to make up for the lack of action through most of the story a la Neuromancer by William Gibson, one of the greatest writers ever! Seriously, read his stuff, it's amazing! Well, I'm thinking of working on the next chapter of No More Room In Hell now that I'm through with this chapter. But I will hopefully work on the next chapter of this too so don't worry everyone. Anyway, read and review everyone.


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